People all over America and around the world for that matter, are still talking about the ‘Rapture.’ A new
series of bestselling books ‘Left Behind’ exposes this relatively new doctrine.
The American evangelist Jack Van Impe preaches it on every one of his TV
programs and on his internet channels. We have to examine this heresy and how
the devil uses it to entrap people keeping them from getting to the truth about
the end and the final things of life
What
is this Rapture, and is it in the Bible?
The teaching first
appeared in the 1800’s from John Nelson Darby (Scottish Dispensationalist) and
transferred by CI Scofield into his “Scofield Reference Bible.” Prior to the
1800’s no one claiming Christianity before then ever heard of this doctrine.
Many psuedo-Christians
or heretics (in particular ‘members of ‘Pentecostalism’ and ‘Catholic
Charismatics’) use verses such as (I Thess. 4:13-17), when talking about the
Rapture, meaning the Church will be taken up with God in the sky before the
Great Tribulation and before a 1000-year reign of Christ on earth known as the
pre-millennial view or millenarianism. You may have seen bumper stickers with
“In Case of Rapture, this Car will be Unmanned.”
Dr. David Jeremiah on
his radio program ‘Turning Point’ explains, “that we should be
looking for Christ instead of the antichrist, for the Rapture will happen
first, and then the antichrist will rise for the Great Tribulation. The
Faithful will not have to endure the Great Tribulation.”
Dr. Jeremiah uses (2
Thess. 2:7-8) to show why he believes the Rapture happens before the
Tribulation. It says, “…But the one who restrains is to do so only for the
present, until he removed from the scene. And then the lawless one will be
revealed.”
According to Dr.
Jeremiah, “the one who restrains is the Holy Spirit and since the church cannot
be without the Holy Spirit then the Rapture happens with the removal of the
restraining one.” Dr. David Reagan on his radio program ‘Christ in
Prophecy’ says somewhat the same thing. Dr Reagan believes the restraining
one is the Church.
Dr Jeremiah, also
reasons that we will not be around for the Tribulation because nowhere in the
Bible explains how we should go through it.
There are other
passages that seem to illustrate a pre-tribulational Rapture. (Matt. 24:40-41)
states, “Two men will be out in the field, one will be taken, and one will be
left.” (Luke 17:34-35) gives
this account, “I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed:
one will be taken, the other left.”
(I Thess. 4:13-17) has
it best stating, “For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice
of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus
we shall always be with the Lord.” (‘Will be caught up’ is Rapiemurin
Latin, which we get the word ‘Rapture.’)
What are we to make of
all this? First, we must be aware that there are many different forms of
writing in Holy Scripture. These are called literary genres. They are easily
understood when they are read within the culture of the time. The cause of the
confusion is when we take a genre of a different culture from another time and
place it within the same context of the present culture.
Apocalyptic writing
such as the books of Daniel and Revelation is one literary genre common among
the ancient Semites. It is filled with strange illusions, bizarre images and
numbers that have symbolic meaning.
There are other genres
used in Scripture such as the parable, the allegory, and the historical novel.
In each literary form, the writer presents but not necessarily asserts the
message of God. It is what the writer meant to assert that we must find out.
With this in mind, Holy Scripture should be read within the historic context
and living Tradition of the Church.
If this is not done,
then the interpretations will vary with every whim and best guess of the reader
and will ultimately end with denying the very Word of God. Scripture itself
warns of traditions of men that will nullify the Word of God.
It is interesting to
note that immediately after the paragraph used to proof text the Rapture
theology, is found the very Scriptures that tell us about Sacred Tradition. (2
Thess. 2:15) “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions
that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.”
What
about those passages of Scripture that seem to prove the Rapture?
One should ask how the
early Church fathers interpreted these passages. Do other passages in Scripture
clearly contradict those interpretations?
Without reading them in
its historical and biblical context in accord to Church teaching, would be
going against what Scripture itself says. As St. Peter warns, “Know this first
of all, that there is no prophecy of Scripture that is a matter of personal
interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20) and “In them there are some things hard to
understand that the unlearned and unstable distort to their own destruction,
just as they do the other scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:16)
Though many saints have
preached a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth or millenarianism, never
has there been taught this idea of the pre-tribulational Rapture. Scottish
Dispensationalists invented this doctrine less than two hundred years ago and
it has since become an American phenomenon accepted worldwide.
When investigating the
Rapture theology, several problems immediately arise. In the foundation verse
for the Rapture (I Thess. 4:15-17), we see that this Rapture happens with the
coming of the Lord, “for we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the
Lord, … Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up.” In (Matthew
24:29-31) and (Mark 13:24-27), we see that when Christ comes again it is
immediately after the Great Tribulation. The psuedo-Christian heretic, the ‘pentecostal’
in particular, would have to conclude two second-comings of Christ to keep from
contradicting these two passages, and particularly (2 Thess. 2:7-8).
On his TV program JVI
Presents, Jack Van Impe denies two second-comings. He reasons that the Rapture
happens when the Lord appears in the sky but doesn’t actually make His Second-Coming.
Since Van Impe uses (I
Thess 4) to prove his position, he must conclude that very passage that says
the “coming of the Lord” is not really the coming of the Lord because that must
come later.
Also, the appearance of
the Lord in the sky is precisely how Holy Scripture describes the Second
Coming. See (Act 1:11)
The fact is the
pre-tribulational rapture theorist must believe in two second-comings even if
they refuse to acknowledge it as so. Two second-comings is not the historical
Christian belief.
Jack Van Impe uses the
historical belief in millenarianism to show why the Rapture should be believed.
He also misrepresents Catholicism by using her books to show how the Catholic
Church also believes in a pre-tribulational Rapture. Unfortunately, he reads
into what he wants to see without looking at the whole picture.
Those verses found in
(I Thess. 4) that speak of being “caught up” is simply speaking about the
resurrection of the body for us all on the last day. It is a Christian dogma.
As a matter of fact, on that same day the damned will find themselves being
“caught down” in the same manner.
(Matthew 24:40), “One
will be taken; and one will be left,” was fulfilled during the destruction of
Jerusalem in 70 AD. This whole chapter is on that event which serves as a
prototype, or prefigure of the end of time. Look at this verse in light of the
next chapter where Christ said he would separate the sheep from the goats. The
sheep (Faithful) will be taken and caught up with their bodies, and the goats
(unfaithful) will be left and taken down to hell in their bodies. This is the
plain explanation of those passages.
In (2 Thess. 2:7), the
restraining one might be referring to the hierarchy of the Church or perhaps it
is St Michael. There is absolutely no reason to believe it is the Holy Spirit
or the Church, unless of course you’re trying to make it fit into a new
theology.
St. Paul writes as if
the Thessalonians know what or who it is. No one knows for sure. It is
important to know that whatever or whoever it is will be taken out and the
antichrist will rise.
Dr. Jeremiah said
Scripture doesn’t say how we should go through the Great Tribulation and
reasons that men must be taken up before it happens.
However, (Matthew
10:22, 24:13) states he who endures and perseveres to the end will be saved.
St. Matthew is stating quite emphatically that the Faithful might have to
suffer greatly as it goes through the Great Tribulation.
(Hebrews 11:32-40,
12:1-13) is clearly saying that the Faithful may and will have to suffer greatly.
St. Peter, who holds
the primacy in the hierarchy, in (I Peter 1:3-9, 2:18-25, 3:13-17, 4:1) speaks
about suffering while (Matthew 10:16-18) warns us of the coming persecutions.
Dr. David Jeremiah, Dr
Dave Reagan, Jack Van Impe, Hal Lindsey, Jerry Jenkins, Tim LaHaye and all
those like them who profess a pre-tribulational Rapture, and thousands of their
counterparts worldwide, are the very false teachers St. Peter warns us against.
(II Peter 2:1)
As for the Rapture, our
focus is on the coming of the Lord but this will be His Second Coming and we are
not thinking about getting out of here before the Great Tribulation for we are
now going through it. The number seven represents completeness or wholeness and
is erroneous to believe that seven years must be a literal seven rather than a
complete and whole time of trial. The number 1000 years also represents a round
number of a long period of time. It is not to be taken as a literal 1000 years.
One could argue that
1000 years is a single day since Scripture also has it that a 1000 years is as
one day to the Lord. (2 Peter 3:8) The point is there are other ways to view
the 1000 years of peace rather than the pre-millennialists or millenarianists.
Pope Pius XII declared this position couldn’t be safely held.
As for the Second
Coming of our Lord, we will be judged as we live since that day will usher in
the Final Judgment.
We hold fast to Sacred
Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and profess in the Apostles’
Creed, “ He will
come again to judge the living and the dead.” On that day, the same Apostles’
Creed continues with “I believe in… the resurrection of the body.”
The resurrection of the
bodies to the souls of the Faithful is the true Rapture and it happens on the
last day of time as we know it when we will enter the age of ages.
Presented by Malachy
Mary Igwilo, 31st August, 2017, Feast of St. Raymund Nonatus
Thanks Dr. This presentation is educating.
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