THE FALSE RAPTURE DOCTRINE EXPLAINED

This article was written by a highly respected Christian pastor. It is what the majority of church goers believe. It is a deception of the enemy. We will see how HaSatan has deceived the church as we read. My comments will be in purple. There are no 5 minute discussions in Bible Study. We have been taught many untruths.

This blog was started to challenge much of what we have been taught in the past through deep study of the Scriptures and the fact that Yeshua did not come to start a new religion called Christianity. He came to renew His Father’s Covenant with His people—both Jew and Gentile.

There is much more to the subject of the rapture. I hope this will help you to think critically about what we’ve been traditionally been taught.

The Rapture is perhaps the most important piece of prophecy for us to understand since it could very well impact us personally. This [article] will help you examine what the Rapture is, defend it biblically, and explain its personal and practical importance. Unfortunately we will see how this does not allow the Bible alone to interpret itself.

What is the Rapture? The Rapture is the biblical prophetic event where all who have put their trust in Christ, living and deceased, will suddenly be caught up from earth, be joined with Christ in the air, and taken to heaven. Paul describes the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV – “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

The above verses are NOT describing the rapture—they are describing the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD at Yeshua’s ONE and ONLY SECOND COMING. This is very important to understand. You can call our “meeting in the air” caught up (harpazo) as rapture, but this is false. Yeshua only taught that we are resurrected from the dead—never about pre-tribulation escape!

The Second coming, as stated above is “at the trump of God.” This teacher does not understand the Feasts of the Lord as explained in Leviticus 23 and additional explanation in Numbers 16.

Leviticus 23.2 states, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.”

If we are allowing the Bible to interpret itself these are not “Jewish” Feasts, but the “feasts of the Lord.”

Secondly, the Lord is speaking to “the children of Israel” the twelve tribes AND those whom have been grafted into Israel. Ref: Romans 11.17-25, Ephesians 2.11-3.6…we are grafted into Israel…therefore we are grafted into Israel. Search this blog for all of these issues. It is all explained clearly.

The Meaning of “Rapture”

Rapture is derived from the Latin translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which translates the Greek harpazo (to catch up or carry away) as rapiemur from the Latin rapio. The Greek harpazo occurs fourteen times in the New Testament with four variations of meaning, each of which contributes to our understanding of what Paul is describing in verse 17: “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with [the dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”

First, harpazo can mean “to carry off by force.” Christ will use His power to remove living and deceased believers from the last enemy, death.

Second, harpazo can mean “to claim for oneself eagerly.” Christ purchased us with His blood, and He will return to claim those who are His.

Third, harpazo can mean “to snatch away speedily.” The Rapture will occur “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Fourth, harpazo can mean “to rescue from the danger of destruction.” This meaning supports the idea that the Rapture will save the Church from experiencing the terrors of the seven-year Tribulation.

This coming event is the first part of Christ’s two-part return to earth. First, He’ll remove the Church from the world. Second, seven years later, He’ll establish His Kingdom on earth. For every prophecy in Scripture about Christ’s first advent, there are eight about His second. The 260 chapters of the New Testament contain 318 references to the Second Coming of Christ.

This last paragraph above is not Biblical. There is no two part return. Yeshua comes to save us at the end of the tribulation. How do we know this? By allowing the Bible to interpret itself. If we read the entire chapter of Matthew 24 it is clear He only comes once. That is at the end of the tribulation…read up to Matthew 24.28 then what does verse 29-31 say?

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Apostles asked in verse 3 “what are the signs of His coming and end of the world.” Nowhere does it say they will be raptured out. Most of the Apostles died as martyrs! Nowhere does it say they OR we will be “raptured” out! These words were written for All Generations, especially those who will experience the tribulation.

What does the Bible say?

Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. John 13.16

 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ…1Thess 5.9

During the tribulation God’s wrath will be poured out upon the wicked. The Apostles were told they would be “persecuted” and so will God’s people be in the tribulation. God’s wrath upon the wicked causes them to persecute God’s people.

Are we greater than the Apostles? Where in Matthew 24 is a distinction made?

We are waiting for the Resurrection from the dead and our transformed bodies as written in 1 Corinthians 15.

The Rapture Is Different From Christ’s Second Coming- You cannot show me where it says this anywhere in the written word.

Will the Rapture occur at Christ’s Second Coming? The short answer is, “Yes, but….” The Rapture sets in motion the End-Time events leading to Christ’s Second Coming. The two stages, Rapture and Return, will be separated by a seven-year Tribulation on earth. The purpose of the Rapture is to spare Christ’s own from the horrors of the Tribulation according to Revelation 3:10.  Because those who “Keep my word” are sold out to Yeshua they will not be affected by the testing of the world. That testing is God’s wrath to make the wicked repent, four times in Revelation it says, they refused to repent. Rev 9.20-21; Rev 16.9; 16.11

The prophets saw what appears to be the Tribulation—“the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7)—not the Rapture. But that is not surprising; they didn’t differentiate clearly between the First and Second Advents of Christ. The prophets “inquired and searched carefully” (1 Peter 1:10-11), but they saw more of the big picture than the details. And they didn’t see the Church at all, which is who the Rapture affects. The prophets saw the future like seeing successive mountain peaks through a telephoto lens. They saw the peaks (events), but not the distance that separates them. If we believe there is only one Second coming (there can only be one “second coming”). Jacob’s Trouble is persecution of God’s people Israel AND the Jewish people.

If we are grafted into Israel the tribulation affects us. What most do not understand is what “grafting into Israel” means. It means we become grafted into them.

The issue is that the “church”, mainstream Christianity, has no idea what grafting into Israel means. Again, this is all covered in the blog you are reading.  

Three New Testament passages tell us about the Rapture: John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians are the most complete and form the basis for this discussion. See, they are not understanding there is one Second Coming and that is when we are resurrected from the dead and meet in the air—as the tribulation is coming to an end, not beginning. The above verses are about the resurrection. Read Revelation 19 (His Coming) and 20 (The results of His coming, Millennial Kingdom, final rebellion of nations. White Throne Judgment, satan and angels thrown into Lake of Fire.)

This is why it’s important to understand the Feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23. The three Fall Feasts of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, 10 days later) and Tabernacles (Sukkot) are vital to understand. They contain the HOW of the Second Coming and our resurrection from the dead.

Trumpets—the Trump of God and announcing of His return.

Day of Atonement—Ten days between Trumpets and Day of Atonement represent “the wrath poured out.” The Day of Atonement is when the gates to salvation are closed on the wicked.

Tabernacles—takes place 5 days after Day of Atonement (the number of grace) and represents God dwelling with his people, and the wedding feast of the King. It is a 7 day feast…7 is an important number in the Kingdom.

First, we must note that Paul gained his understanding of the Rapture via special revelation from God—he called it a “mystery” in 1 Corinthians 15:51, meaning a truth not previously revealed. The revelation was “by the word of the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15).

Second, Paul shared this revelation in order to meet a practical concern of the Christians in Thessalonica. They were concerned about the fate of Christians who died before Christ’s Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and about the timing of the Rapture—whether it had already happened (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). The above 2 paragraphs are again, describing the resurrection of the dead at the one and only Second Coming of King Yeshua!

Three Reasons the Rapture Could Happen Today—the rest of the article explains what they think will happen and what it means. It is simply false teaching. Not false teaching because they are sinister people, NO, ‘because they are deceived.’ Revelation says SEVEN TIMES that the whole world is deceived.

Finally, the subject of the 144,000 is quite difficult to understand. I am still praying and seeking guidance on Revelation 7. They are a special group of dedicated disciples. They represent the tribes of Israel into which we are grafted. Two tribes are not represented in the 144,000—Dan and Ephraim.

Why? Dan a son of Jacob/Israel and Ephraim a son of Joseph who is GRAFTED INTO ISRAEL ALONG WITH HIS BROTHER MANASSEH. Dan and Ephraim led the northern tribes into idolatry therefore they are not among the 144,000. They represent those who say they follow and are committed BUT were NOT! Christians who refuse to stop sinning.

We see then that Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s sons whom Jacob/Israel blessed and grafted into the tribes. Their mother was the daughter of the High Priest of ON in Egypt (Gen 41.45). She bore Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen 41.50-52).

Jacob in Genesis 48 blesses Ephraim and Manasseh and “puts his name upon them.” He is literally GRAFTING THEM INTO ISRAEL. They are not his sons, but rather, Grandsons. They are Joseph’s double blessing as the first born of Rachel whom Jacob loved.

Ephraim and Manasseh are grafted into Jacob/Israel’s family. They represent the grafting in of the Gentiles into Israel! 1 Kings 10 and 11 describe the civil war that divided Israel. The northern Kingdom referred to often in the Bible as Israel separated from the southern tribe of Judah whom represent the ‘Jews’ today (the modern nation is called Israel).

In Genesis 49 after Jacob/Israel blessed Ephraim and Manasseh (in ch 48) he blesses HIS sons Gen 49.1).Then in 49.28 it refers to his SONS as the tribes of Israel. Ephraim and Manasseh are grafted into Israel. Joseph, who receives the double blessing of his sons, and Levi do not receive land inheritance.

However, Joseph and Levi ARE part of the 144,000. So is Manasseh. Dan and Ephraim led the tribes into idolatry and captivity. They have no part in the 144,000 for this sin.

I explained that as simply as I could to say that the 144,000 are comprised mostly of lost tribes (DNA) as they are referred to as special group whom in Revelation 7 who ‘came out of great tribulation’ and serve God in his temple.

Later in Revelation 12 we see a great wonder, a woman who has a manchild caught up to God, who will rule the nations with a rod of iron.

The 144,000 came out of great tribulation in ch 7. The woman is taken to the wilderness and is nourished during the tribulation. How are the woman and the 144,000 connected? Are they one and the same? In the Bible God has hiding places for his special people.

I don’t believe there is a rapturing out, but according to the Biblical pattern there is a place of safety and hiding in scripture…Moses, Joseph, Daniel, Daniel’s friends in the pit, Joseph fleeing to Egypt with Yeshua. A place of safety for some in the tribulation I can see but not a rapture of the ‘church’ that has been falling into apostasy.

We have much to pray about and meditate on in Revelation which we do not yet understand. The RAPTURE IS A DANGEROUS DOCTRINE. BELIEVE AT YOUR OWN RISK! IT WILL DESTROY THE FAITH OF MANY WHEN IT DOESN’T HAPPEN.

I HAVE NO FURTHER COMMENTS ON THE INFORMATION BELOW. I hope this will cause those who read to diligently seek and allow the Bible to interpret itself using both O.T and N.T.

This blog has many articles on end time events and what happens when we die. We have been taught many false doctrines which are not supported by Scripture, but are the ‘doctrines of men.’ Do your due diligence and seek the truth.

Reason 1: The Rapture is a signless event.

Unlike the Second Coming, no signs will precede the Rapture. This is called the doctrine of imminency—that is, the Rapture is imminent; it could happen at any moment. Specifically, nothing in God’s prophetic program must take place as a prerequisite to the Rapture. Things may happen but nothing must happen. That means we don’t know when it could happen. It could be today or years from today.

Without any warning, Jesus Christ will return to rapture His saints and take them to heaven. Christians must live prepared lives, ready to meet their Savior at any moment.

Reason 2: The Rapture is a surprise event.

While many through the years have predicted the date of the Rapture and Jesus’ Second Coming, Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:36-39 should be taken literally: No one, including Jesus and the angels, knows the time of His return. Only God the Father knows. Not knowing when Jesus will come for His Church causes us to be ready at all times.

Reason 3: The Rapture is a sudden event.

Paul wrote that the Rapture will take place “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). “Twinkling” likely refers to the amount of time it takes for light, traveling at 186,000 miles per second, to be reflected on the retina of one’s eye. In less than a nanosecond, the Lord will call believers to Himself!

1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” These are not three distinct sounds, but one sound described three different ways.

This sound will be like a shout, ringing with commanding authority like the voice of an archangel. It will also be like the blare of a trumpet in its volume and clarity. And the sound will be heard only by those who have trusted Christ as Savior. Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come forth!” in John 11:43. His shout of “Come forth!” at the Rapture will not name a single individual, but will be heard by every believer in every grave around the world.

At the moment of the Rapture, God’s people from every era—the disciples, the martyrs of the ages, your godly ancestors, and many more—will rise from their graves.

The Rapture Only Involves Christians                                                                                                                        Each of the three major passages that teach about the Rapture indicate that it involves believers only (including innocent children too young to believe). Anyone who does not trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior will not be raptured into the Lord’s presence and will be left to suffer the horrors of the Tribulation.

Jesus’ words in John 14:1-3 were spoken to His disciples—men who were obviously believers. He assured them that He would prepare a place for them in His Father’s house; they were members of the family of faith in the same way Christians are today. “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (verse 3) describes what we call the Rapture—the uniting of Jesus Christ with His faithful followers.

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul talked about “those who are Christ’s at His coming” (verse 23). Verse 1 informs us that the passage was written to “brethren,” and verse 58 concludes the passage by talking about abounding in the work of the Lord, an obvious reference to Christian believers.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul refers to believers as “brethren” (verse 13), as those who “believe that Jesus died and rose again” (verse 14), and as the “dead in Christ” (verse 16).

These passages are clear: the Rapture is restricted to believers. Only those who are followers of Christ will be taken up into heaven when He returns.

Three Ways the Rapture Can Impact Our Life Today

The Rapture can change our life; it is a source of personal comfort and hope. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about it to ease their concerns about their departed loved ones. Death is not final. The resurrection of believers who have died will reverse the effects of death. All who have lost loved ones to the sting of death can be comforted in the knowledge that they will see them again. But it is also a source of strength. Jesus promised His disciples, on the night He was arrested, that He would return for them (John 14:1-3).

It is no wonder that Paul told the Thessalonians to comfort themselves with the truth concerning the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:18). The Rapture can impact our life now, in three ways, while we wait for it to happen.

We can live with expectation.

The letter from Paul to Titus puts into words how the expectation of the Rapture should impact our life:

Titus 2:11-14 KJV – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and pur”

We can live with dedication.

I am told that Robert Murray M’Cheyne, a brilliant young Scottish preacher who died at age 29 in 1843, wore a watch with the words “The Night Cometh” engraved on its face. Every time he checked his watch, he was reminded that time is marching on. We won’t always have time to win souls for Christ or to consecrate our own life for His service. The apostle John exhorted his readers “not to be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28). The imminent return of Jesus for His Church is life’s greatest stimulus for living a dedicated life.

We can live with preparation.

Jesus warned that He is “coming quickly” (Revelation 22:12). That means we should live every day as if He were coming that day. But will we be ready? Will we be found with heart and hands dedicated to serving Him at the moment we see Him face to face? Even more important, have we committed ourselves by faith to Christ, so we are assured of being part of His Church that is called into His presence at the Rapture? When the Rapture occurs, there will be no opportunity to decide. Be sure that you have said “Yes” to Christ so that you will be prepared to rejoice at His appearing.

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David Jeremiah is an author, the founder and host of Turning Point for God, and the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church.