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Since the Bible does not use
the word, “rapture,” what is the basis for this
teaching, and when will it occur?
Although the English Bible
does not contain the word, “rapture,” it is found
in the Latin version of the Bible, which is where this widely
used term came from in the first place. In I Thessalonians
4:17 the Apostle, Paul, referred to Christians being “caught
up” to meet Christ in the air. The Greek word, harpagesometha,
is translated “raptured” in the Latin Bible, and
literally means “snatched away.”
The first reference to the
rapture in the New Testament was spoken by Jesus Christ, recorded
in John 14:1ff. “…And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that
where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:3) Christ
promised His disciples that He would return someday to take
believers on earth at that time to be with Him in heaven.
Paul makes another reference
to the rapture in II Thessalonians 2:1. “Now we beseech
you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
by our gathering together unto him…”
While explaining the necessity
of the resurrection for Christians in I Corinthians 15, Paul
connected the resurrection with the rapture. In verses 51-52,
he wrote, “Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed.” In the context, “sleep”
is a euphemism for death. Again, Paul paints the same picture
as in I Thessalonians 4:17. Christians who have already died
before the rapture will be resurrected to glorified bodies.
Those who have not died, but “are alive and remain”
at the time of the rapture will be changed or translated from
mortal bodies to glorified bodies.
The question concerning the
time of the rapture has divided Bible students into at least
four camps: 1. Partial-tribulation, 2. Mid-tribulation, 3.
Post-tribulation., and 4. Pre-tribulation.
The partial-tribulation position
teaches that only spiritual Christians who are actively serving
and walking with Christ will be raptured. The other Christians
who are not prepared for the rapture will be left to go through
the tribulation period as a purification process.
The mid-tribulation position
teaches that Christians will be raptured in the middle of
the seven-year tribulation period. Since the tribulation is
divided in half by the prophecies, and the latter half is
referred to as the time of God’s great wrath (Revelation
6:17), it is supposed that Christians will be required to
endure the persecutions of men in the first half, but will
be spared the wrath of God and His judgments in the last half.
The post-tribulation position
teaches that the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation
period and concurrently with the second coming of Christ.
References to saints in the tribulation are understood to
refer to the church.
The pre-tribulation position
teaches that the rapture will occur before the beginning of
the tribulation period. This publisher believes that the pre-tribulation
position has the best support in Scripture. Here are just
a few of many examples which could be given. First, this is
the only view which allows a consistent, literal interpretation
of all the Bible passages on the tribulation period.
Second, it is consistent with
passages which teach that the church will not be subjected
to God’s judgmental wrath, which characterizes the tribulation.
Romans 5:9 states “…we shall be saved from wrath…”
When reminding the Thessalonians of their conversion to Christ,
Paul wrote that Jesus “…delivered us from the
wrath to come.” (I Thessalonians 1:10) Again in 5:9,
he wrote, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” When
Jesus in His earthly ministry taught about the judgments which
would occur before the establishment of the kingdom of God
on earth, He suggested that there is a way for His faithful
followers to escape the “wrath” (Luke 21:23) which
was coming. In Luke 21:36 He said, “Watch ye therefore,
and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the Son of man.” After His resurrection and ascension,
Christ addressed the church at Philadelphia in the apostle
John’s vision recorded in Revelation 3:10. He promised
Christians who follow His teachings about enduring in their
faith, “I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell
upon the earth.”
Third, the pre-tribulation
view is consistent with the exhortation to look for the imminent
appearance of Christ. For example, Paul wrote in Titus 2:13,
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ…”
“…Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(I Corinthians 1:7). “And to wait for his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead…” (I Thessalonians
1:10). These admonitions would not have much meaning if what
we are encouraged to wait and look expectantly for will be
preceded by a period of unprecedented judgments and calamities.
In conclusion, the rapture
of the church is a great source of encouragement and hope
for Christians. We are not looking forward to the appearance
of the Antichrist or the Tribulation. We should be expecting
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself to return to take us to be with
Him in heaven. This expectation is also a motivation to live
godly lives pleasing to Him, because when He suddenly comes
for the church, there will be no time to reform.
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Will my pet be in heaven?
Although this may not be the
most profound question, it seems to be one of the most often
asked. The answer does raise some significant issues about
God’s plans for the future of His creation.
Unfortunately, there is no
explicit teaching in scripture concerning this specific question.
The usual rather glib answer is, “If we need our pets
to be happy in heaven, then God will see that we have them.”
There are teachings in Scripture from which we can make some
inferences which suggest the possibility, even the probability
that pets will be included in God’s plan to restore
the fallen creation.
Here is a summary of key passages
which touch on the subject:
- God created man and animals to live together
in harmony and to enjoy companionship. (Genesis 1:21-26;
2:19-20)
- Animals came under the curse when man sinned,
but will be freed from the curse through Christ. (Romans
8:20-22; Colossians 1:20; Acts 3:20)
- The harmonious relationship between man
and animals will be restored in the millennial kingdom.
(Isaiah 11:6-9)
- It is reasonable to expect that when God
re-creates a new heaven and earth, that the harmonious relationship
between man and animals will be no less than in the original
creation or the millennial kingdom. (Revelation 21:1, 5)
- God keeps a record of every animal that
has ever lived. (Luke 12:6)
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