I was sitting in church a few weeks ago, waiting for the service to begin when I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation between two women behind me. They were talking about current events and scary things they had seen on the news. One of them felt the need to share a teaching she had heard about the church having to go through the tribulation period and that somehow God would protect His people while on earth. I have to confess that this conversation made me both sad and afraid. Sad for them because of their fear, and afraid, because it made me question what I know to be true.
Let me ask you a question that might not look like it relates to the above situation, but if you bear with me it will make sense. If your spouse had been gone for a whole year and you knew they were finally coming home, would you not eagerly anticipate and wait for their arrival? Would you not be excited for them to finally come home? Would you wait at the window, keep watch, look at the clock and be filled with joy at their return? Now let’s assume that someone else told you while you were waiting, that they weren’t really coming home at all. What would you do? Would you believe them? Would you just accept their word, or would you look into the matter yourself? Would you read your spouse’s letters again? Would you ponder on what they told you and the details they gave you, or just give up in confusion? I would strongly suggest that you would not give up. You would reread the letters, study the details and continue to wait. Why? Because you love them and you can’t wait to see them again!
I spent my entire Christian walk believing that one day, Jesus Christ would rapture His church and then the tribulation would begin. But then, about 3 or 4 years ago, I started to hear evil reports, teachings from preachers who told me that there was no rapture, or worse that the millennium had somehow started back in 70 AD, and that the book of Revelation was just an allegory. A fairy tale if you will. It sent me into a tailspin of confusion. I honestly began to wonder if I had believed incorrectly all those years. But instead of just believing the teachers who preached those things, I did the only thing that made sense to me. I went back to the “Letters”. I went back and searched the Scriptures. What does God’s word, the author of all of it, the One who wrote the book, say about it?
I discovered several incredible things that put my heart at ease and made me go back to the window, and keep watch. I’d like to share those things with you, in case you are struggling with the same issues.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. No, the word rapture does not appear in the Greek translation of Scripture. The New Testament was first written in Latin and only later translated into Greek. It is the Latin word “Rapturo” where we get our word rapture from. In the Greek, it is translated as “Harpazo”.
Here’s what Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpazo) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Notice that we are to comfort one another with these words. Teaching that the church will go through the tribulation is not a comfort, at least it isn’t for me.
Moving on, did you know that there were several people in the Bible who have been raptured? It’s actually not a new concept at all.
Enoch was no doubt the first one. Genesis 5:23-24 gives us the following account:
“And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” The word “took” in the Hebrew means to carry away, to fetch or seize. In case we are confused about what happened here, the writer of Hebrews clarifies it for us. Hebrews 11:5 says the following: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
The prophet Elijah was also raptured. Elisha, who was Elijah’s student, describes the event to us in amazing detail in 2 Kings 2:11: “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” That must have been quite a sight!
Jesus, after rising from the dead and spending several weeks with His disciples, was taken up to heaven in Mark 16:19. We are once again given more details of what happened in Acts 1:9-11: “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Why did I share these stories? Because the concept of being raptured is not some crazy idea made up by man. It is not a new concept, as some would have you believe. It is Biblical!
I also have to bring up the character of God. Who is this Savior that I trust in? We are told two stories in the Bible that describe the wrath of God on an ungodly city or even an ungodly and wicked world. The story of Noah’s flood in Genesis 6-7 gives us details about how Noah built an ark and then saved some of each type of animal, and also his own family. God tells Noah why He was bringing a great flood to the world: “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:13. Why did God choose to save Noah? He told him that also:
“Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.” Genesis 7:1
The second story of God’s wrath is of course the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Why were these cities destroyed? Again, God told Abraham: “And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Genesis 18:20
The whole sordid story about these cities and their destruction, and, we must not forget, Abraham’s intercession on their behalf, can be found in Genesis 18 and 19. But here’s the point I want to make. Before God brought destruction, He saved a family. He saved Abraham’s nephew Lot and his wife and children. The angels that brought destruction actually said to Lot “Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (Genesis 19:22) They could not destroy the city of Sodom until Lot was safe. Interesting, don’t you think?
I want you to notice that each of these families were rescued because of their righteous deeds. God’s wrath is not on the righteous. When He brings destruction, commonly called judgement, he removes the righteous.
I’ve heard it taught that the tribulation is not God’s wrath, but Satan’s wrath. Really? Let’s go back to the source and see what the Bible teaches us.
Let’s start with who is in control. In Revelation 5:1-5 we are shown through the eyes of the apostle John a scene in heaven. It is a very dramatic scene, so much so that John even begins to weep:
“I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
Why the drama about who could open that scroll? Obviously, those in heaven knew who was worthy! It was only John who didn’t know. Therefore, we can assume that this dramatic scene is for our benefit. It is to prove to us, the reader, that the only one in heaven and on earth that has the power and authority and is worthy to open that scroll, is Jesus Christ. No one else! Who is in control? This passage tells us. The tribulation is the wrath of God. It is not the wrath of man, neither is it the wrath of Satan, as many like to teach.
Paul gives us this word of encouragement: we are “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come”. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
Before I end, I want to encourage you with something. Don’t take my word for it. Go back to the source. Read the Bible. Read the book of Revelation. Read the stories in Genesis and ask God to give you the wisdom to understand. Almost 30% of the Bible is prophecy. God wants us to understand what is soon coming on the earth. He is not the author of confusion. He wants us to be comforted by the fact that not only is He in control, but He’s coming back for those that are His!
Let me leave you with these words of Paul in Titus 2:11-14:
“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”
If you’ve lost hope and are confused, let me ask you this: Do you love Him? Then go back to the letters and search them! He is coming soon!
cardscoffeeandgod 