Why The Rapture is False Doctrine

1. Incoherent Proof TextLUKE 17:34-37and Matthew 24: 40-41 Matthew and Luke provide the main foundational text for the Rapture and the “Left Behind” hysteria. (Matthew 24:40-41) “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left {behind}. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left {behind}.” Where are they “Taken?” The answer found in the parallel text is very revealing!

(Luke 17:34-37)“’I tell you, in that night there will be two in bed. One will be taken and the other left {behind}. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left {behind}. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left {behind}.’ And they said to him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.’

Luke shows that those taken away aren’t raptured to glory; they are delivered over to the death that awaits them. These passages are proof texts for the destruction of the temple and fall of Jerusalem. There is no biblical basis for “Left Behind” or the Rapture because where they are ‘taken’ is to the grave.

BAD ANSWER: The eagle was the Roman insignia. The disciples or 1rst century Christians were the ones martyred( that’s where the vultures are). Sorry rapture guy, None of the Apostles were women. The church will be gone, Christians won’t go through the tribulation. Don’t defend the rapture with this defense, it’s broken. Jesus is quoting Job. Moses was taken with the Children of Israel, Lot was taken from Gomorrah, Noah and his family were taken and the Church will be taken. Wrong! Pharaoh, the Sodomites and the pagans in Noah’s flood, were “killed” ie. “Taken” Noah, Lot and Moses were “Left Behind” It will be better for you if you are “Left Behind”.

2. Incoherent Proof Text THESS: 4:13-18 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, and remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

This is the foundational passage to use for the rapture and Second Coming used by Rapture guy interchangeably. This is the definition of bad hermeneutics. The Greek word for “coming” is “Parousia” which conveys the concept of the “Revealing”. Jesus doesn’t come from a million miles away, it’s like the rolling back of a scroll revealing Jesus with the dead in Christ and the New Jerusalem. The transformation of the dead in Christ and the earth as the new heavens and earth and glorified “Bride of Christ” are only in the second coming. Where in scripture does it say we live in heaven forever? Where does it say we will live in the clouds {clouds = glory} or Heaven forever? We live in the New Jerusalem with the Father and the Son on earth forever. Rev 21:1-4

Revelation 21:1-4 ESV 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

BAD ANSWER: Rapture guy is confident that if you knew the Galilean wedding” you would understand the Rapture, that’s what Paul means when he says “I will show you a mystery”. Hidden knowledge is what Gnosticism is all about, the Rapture has been revealed since around the1830’s discovered by Plymouth Brethren cult leader John Nelson Darby, hidden from the Church for well over 2000 years.

2. A New Doctrine Why were believers left in the dark for over 1800 yrs, certainly Jesus did not know about the Rapture because it emerged in the 1830’s, John Nelson Darby was the first to teach and introduce this idea to his congregation. Margaret MacDonald, who had a vision in 1830 of the end times and the Church being raptured from the Earth. This view was later popularized by C.I Scofield of Dallas Seminary, D.L. Moody and Pastor Chuck Smith. The huge Calvary Chapel movement brought this doctrine front and center in the 70’s and 80’s leaving a lasting imprint on Evangelicals, Charismatics and non denominational churches.

3. The Church Will Not Got Through The Tribulation? The Church will not go through the Tribulation is a uniquely American theological construct that goes against the history, tradition and experience of the Church. Believers in the U.S.A. have never suffered persecution for their faith, as a result rapture proponents find it inconceivable, offensive and even heretical to think believers will go through the Tribulation even though Christians have gone, are going through and will go through tribulation and persecution until the end. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 A.D., during WW1 1.5 million were killed by Muslims in Turkey, that’s tribulation! Christians have been martyred, slaughtered and tortured for their faith for over 2000 yrs never more so than now in the Middle East, China and across the globe. In the book of Revelation, During the Tribulation Christ repeatedly encourages believers to endure, persevere, keep the faith till the end. Many believe they need not worry about the second coming because they won’t be here to see it. Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic preachers no longer teach about the second coming anymore because it’s pointless. I hold to the moderate preterist position that holds the church will go through the Great Tribulation.

The only hope of salvation for an unbeliever is a believer, so why does God take the church out of this world, the world he loves? Does God want to spare the Christians life from a horrible death? He didn’t spare his own son, are we any better? Didn’t Jesus say ‘He who tries to spare his own life will lose it?

You decide for yourself.