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The rapture ("harpazo" in Greek in 1 Thessalonians 4:17) is the common description of the event in Christian eschatology in which Christians will be "taken" or "caught up" from Earth to Heaven to be with Jesus Christ. This is a common belief among Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Baptists, and many independants. While almost all Christian groups believe that those who are saved will have eternal life, the term "rapture" is applied specifically to the event in which all Christians on earth are instantly transformed physically and simultaneously ascend to join Christ in heaven. The concept has been popularized since the 1830s, and again since the 1970s, by proponents of the dispensationalist or futurist interpretations of scripture. According to these theories, world events indicate that the fulfillment of prophecies of the end times is very close.

The timing of when the rapture will take place is a key point often discussed and debated between denominations and individuals who accept the notion. The most common is that the rapture will take place immediately prior to the great tribulation[citation needed], a seven-year period preceding the second coming of Christ to the earth. Others propose that the rapture will take place either mid-way through the tribulation[citation needed], or after it as Christ comes to earth to establish his kingdom[citation needed], taking over rulership of the world for 1000 years. (see Millenium)

Etymology

"Rapture" is a word of Latin origin, not Hebrew or Greek, the languages of the Bible. Its Greek equivalent is harpazo, which is found in the Greek text of 1 Thes. 4:17. When translated into English, both words mean "to be caught up, or snatched away." Harpazo, the word Paul actually used, comes from roots that mean, "to raise from the ground" and" take for oneself".

History

The origins of the doctrine of the rapture are hotly debated. The Orthodox, mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic churches (which represent the majority of Christians worldwide) reject the doctrine, in part because they cannot find any reference to it among any of the early Church fathers [1] and in part because they do not interpret the scriptures the way that Rapture-believers do.

Two early Church fathers from the first century, Clement and Polycarp, made statements that may appear to be a reference to the rapture. [2]

There was a manuscript, The Shepherd of Hermas, dated to the second century, that is perhaps the oldest known reference to a great tribulation to come and a possible escape from it. This text includes a series of visions that appeared to the shepherd. The first vision was of a giant raging bull, and the Shepherd was able to escape harm from it by relying on God for protection. The next vision encountered was that of a beautiful maiden, identified by the shepherd as the church. She identifies the bull as the great tribulation to come, and tells him he escaped it by putting his trust in God. She then charges him to go tell all other believers they can also escape the coming tribulation but only if they also put full faith in the Lord [citation needed]. This interpretation, however, is not accepted by scholars[citation needed], as it is clearly taking the visions out of context. The "escape" of the "beautiful maiden" does not refer to a rapture, or being taken out of the tribulation, but it refers to going through the tribulation and yet coming out victorious from it by faith in the Lord.[3]

Some pre-Tribulation proponents maintain that the earliest known extra-Biblical reference to the "pre-Tribulation" rapture is from a sermon by "pseudo-Ephraem", attributed to a fourth century Byzantine, Ephraem of Nisibis, in which he is quoted as saying, "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."[4][5] However, the interpretation of this writing, as supporting pre-tribulation rapture, is debated.[6][7]

There exists at least one 18th century and two 19th century Pre-Tribulation references, in a book published in 1788, in the writings of a Catholic priest Emmanuel Lacunza [8] in 1812, and by John Darby himself in 1827.[9] However, both the book published in 1788 and the writings of Lacunza have opposing views regarding their interpretations, as well.

The rise in belief in the "Pre-Tribulation" rapture is sometimes attributed to a 15-year old Scotch-Irish girl named Margaret MacDonald (a follower of Edward Irving), who in 1830 had a vision that was later [10]published in 1861].

The popularization of the term is associated with teaching of John Nelson Darby, prominent among the Plymouth Brethren, and the rise of premillennialism and dispensationalism in English-speaking Churches at the end of the 19th century.

In 1908, the doctrine of the rapture was further popularized by an evangelist named William Eugene Blackstone, whose book, Jesus Is Coming, sold more than one million copies[11].

In 1909, the Scofield Reference Bible was published that taught the pre tribulation rapture, which, by 1930, had sold 1 million copies, and up to today has sold 5 million copies.[12]

In 1957, Dr. John Walvoord, a theologian at Dallas Theological Seminary, authored a book, "The Rapture Question," that gave theological support to the pre-tribulation rapture; this book eventually sold over 65,000 copies.

In 1958, J. Dwight Pentecost authored another book supporting the pre-tribulation rapture, "Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology" that sold 215,000 copies.

During the 1970s, the rapture became popular in wider circles, in part due to the books of Hal Lindsey, including The Late Great Planet Earth which has reportedly sold between 15 million to 35 million copies.[13] Lindsey based his analysis that the rapture was imminent on world conditions at the time. The Cold War and the European Economic Community figured prominently in his predictions of Armageddon, and other aspects of 1970s global politics were seen as having been predicted in the Bible. Lindsey believed, for example, that the seven-headed beast with ten horns, cited in Revelation, was the European Economic Community, a forebear of the European Union, which at the time aspired to ten nations. (Now it has 27 nations).

In 1995, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture was further popularized by Tim LaHaye's book series, Left Behind, which sold tens of millions of copies and was made into several movies.

The doctrine of the rapture continues to be an important component in fundamentalist Christian eschatology today. Many Christians continue to feel that world conditions point to the rapture occurring soon. Although this belief is strongly held in many English-speaking denominations, these views continue to resonate in certain circles around the world [citation needed].

Three major views on the timing of the rapture

There is considerable debate (rapture debate) among Christians who believe in the rapture in regard to the timing of it relative to the seven-year Tribulation.

Pre-tribulation

The Pre-Tribulation rapture, or "Pre-Trib", is the belief that the rapture will occur at the beginning of the 70th Week of Daniel, the final seven years of this age. Christian believers will be translated into immortal bodies in the rapture before the great persecutions by the Antichrist as he comes into his Beast role midway through the final seven years. According to this view, the Christian Church that existed prior to that seven-year period has no vital role during the seven years of Tribulation. Those people who accept Christ after the Rapture will be martyred for their faith during the Tribulation. The apostle John is seen in Revelation 4:1 as representing the Church caught up to Heaven. John hears the Trumpet and a voice that says, "Come up hither", and he is translated in the Spirit to Heaven and then sees what will happen for those left on earth. The pre-tribulation rapture is the most widely held position among American Evangelical Christians. It has become popular in recent years around the world and through the work of dispensational preachers such as Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey.

Post-tribulation

The other main view is termed the Post-Tribulation rapture (or "Post-Trib"). This view admits the concept of "rapture" from 1 Thessalonians[citation needed], but does not see an intervening seven-year period (or three-and-a-half-year period depending on scholarship) between the rapture and the return of Christ[citation needed]. This viewpoint is that Christian believers will be on Earth as witnesses to Christ during the entire seven years and right up until the last day of this age. This includes the final three and a half years of the age believed to be the time period of the Antichrist in his malevolent role as the Beast. The post-tribulation view is supported by Matthew 24:29–31 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days...they shall gather together his elect..."[citation needed] See also Mark 13:24-27 and Luke 21:25-27 for the parallel accounts from the other Gospels. Another account which lends support to the idea of a post-tribulation rapture is in 2 Peter 3:10-13 where the idea of a "thief in the night" comes from[citation needed]. In this passage, Christ's return is equated with the "elements being melted", and "the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up". Another key difference between the pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation lines of theology is the number of times that Jesus Christ must return. Although it is not directly referenced, in both the pre- and mid-tribulation raptures, Christ must then return a third time, at the end of the Tribulation period.

Both views hold that Christian believers will be either removed from, or protected from, the judgement when the wrath of God falls and the wicked are carried off at the end of the age.

Prewrath rapture

The prewrath rapture theory is that the tribulation of the church begins midway through the seven-year period, being Daniel's 70th week, when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple. The great tribulation, according to this view, is of the Antichrist against the church at this time. According to Jesus, this tribulation will be cut short by the second coming of Christ to deliver the righteous by means of rapture. The Day of the Lord's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven-years. [14]

For more, see rapture debate

Scriptural basis and the ongoing debate

Although there are alternative interpretations (see rapture debate), the rapture interpretation states that in the near future dead believers in Jesus will be brought back to life and believers who have never died will be changed in the "twinkling of an eye" and both groups will be taken up to heaven.

Image of person ascending to Heaven. The Greek word is pronounced "harpazo", which means "caught up".

Supporters for this belief generally cite the following primary sources[citation needed] in the New Testament (the following are quoted from the NRSV):

  • "Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51–52)
  • "For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever." (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17)
  • "He [Christ] will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be formed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself." (Philippians 3:21)
  • "In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2–3)
  • "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." (Luke 17:30-35)

Generally, believers in the rapture do not make predictions about the specific timing of the rapture, but believe it to be imminent, as did the Apostle Paul when he penned 1 Thessalonians 4. Various sects that have attempted to set dates for this event have done so to their embarrassment when the event does not take place.

Date setting

File:1992 Rapture.jpg
Rapture posters such as this one were spread across New England

Specific dates for the rapture have been predicted by many people. The major evangelical website Rapture Ready offers a detailed list.[1]. A more extensive list is available from A Brief History of the Apocalypse.

Some notable predictions include these:

  • 1989 - Publication of The final shout: Rapture report 1989, by Edgar Whisenant. More predictions by this author appeared for 1992, 1995, and other years.
  • 1992 - Korean group "Mission for the Coming Days " predicted October 28, 1992 as the date for the rapture.
  • 1993 - Seven years before the year 2000. The rapture would have to start to allow for seven years of the Tribulation before the Return in 2000. Multiple predictions.
  • 1994 - Pastor John Hinkle of Christ Church in Los Angeles predicted June 9, 1994.
  • 1997 - Stan Johnson of the Prophecy Club predicted September 12, 1997.
  • 1998 - Marilyn Agee, in The End of the Age, predicted May 31, 1998.
  • 2000 - Many "millennial" predictions.
  • 2006 - Many predictions for June 06, or 06/06/06.
  • 2012 - A church[citation needed] has developed the theory of December 23, 2012 as an apocalyptic event, and Jesus' return on an asteroid. This may be influenced by an interpretation of the Mayan Calender

Predictions continue to appear in fundamentalist literature and speeches.

End Times Prerequisites

The vast majority of those who believe in a rapture, believe it will happen before the 7 year tribulation, and they also believe that the rapture is imminent, that is to say, nothing else needs to happen first, before the rapture.

However, some others believe that certain warning signs will first appear, even before the pre tribulation rapture. The following is a list of these events.

  1. The nations of the world must unify their currency onto a universal standard.
  2. There will be peace in Israel according to Ezekiel 38.
  3. There may be a one world government, something like the 7th beast of Revelation, prior to the antichrist's 8th beast government.
  4. The Jewish temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt in its original place.
  5. The Jewish people must be in control of the land of Israel.
  6. Many Old Testament commandments must be performed in the temple. This includes the sacrifice of an unblemished red heifer.
  7. The Anti Christ must be walking the earth in human form.

The rapture in the English-speaking media

  • The 1941 religious propaganda film The Rapture calls to the faithful to make sure that they are ready for the rapture and shows the fate of those left behind.
  • The 1991 film The Rapture, about one woman's experience of the rapture, starring Mimi Rogers and David Duchovny. The film shows the progression of Mimi Roger's character from hedonistic swinger to devout Christian, and finally to rejection of God even after the Rapture has taken place.
  • The Rapture is a major component of the premise of the Left Behind books and their various spin-offs. These books greatly revived public interest in this concept. The books have started being adapted for the screen with the first three made into movies starring Kirk Cameron. A controversial video game based on the movie was also released in 2006 which many saw as endorsing a holy war.[citation needed]
  • Episode 19 in season 16 of The Simpsons, titled "Thank God It's Doomsday" features Homer predicting the Rapture. After seeing a movie titled "Left Below" (a parody of "Left Behind"), he becomes paranoid and predicts that the Rapture will occur at 3:15 p.m. on May 18.
  • The band Sonic Youth, released their 21st album Rather Ripped, which features a song called "Do You Believe in Rapture?"[15](see external link below to read the lyrics of the song).
  • On August 2, 2001, humorist Elroy Willis posted a Usenet article entitled "Mistaken Rapture Kills Arkansas Woman". This fictional, satirical story, about a woman who causes a traffic accident and is killed when she believes the Rapture has started, circulated widely on the Internet and was believed by many people to be a description of an actual incident. Elements of the story appeared in an episode of the HBO television drama Six Feet Under, and a slightly modified version of the story was reprinted in the US tabloid newspaper Weekly World News. The story continues to circulate via electronic mail as a chain letter.[16]
  • In 2000, Left Behind: The Movie, it was depicted as people disappearing, but leaving their clothes behind in a pile. If they were driving cars, they careen into other cars upon losing their drivers. The view is echoed in the popular bumper sticker which reads "In case of Rapture, this car will be unmanned."
  • In Mark E. Rogers' book, "The Dead", published in 2001, those chosen for salvation disappear in a blinding flash of light. It is possible for people who have been left behind to redeem themselves in the eyes of God; those who do are immediately Raptured. Sacrificing oneself to help others is one way of being redeemed. Some characters are actually under attack by the reanimated corpses, or by Legion himself, at the time of their Rapture. The blinding flash of light totally disorients the corpses who witness it, rendering them incapable of any action at all for a short period of time. The humans are literally "caught up" "in an instant" by God.
  • The 1993 album 'Covenant' by Morbid Angel opens with a song called 'Rapture'.
  • In 2005, Deep Purple release the Album 'Rapture of the Deep', and an eponymous song within the Album.
  • In 2006 The Rapture Is At Hand was published as a work of Hypertext fiction This satirical work of fiction is billed as a Choose Your Own Afterlife novella, mimicking the CYOA acronym of the popular Choose Your Own Adventure children's books, which were published for two decades. This novella is set in a Rapture imminent Bible Belt. It is up to the reader to decide whether to remain or depart for the more secular-minded Northeast. There are 24 possible endings, some of which portray the Rapture as occurring. The Rapture occurs in these endings in various ways, none of which subscribe to any accepted Christian Eschatological view.
  • The 2006 BBC documentary "The Doomsday Code" by Tony Robinson explores the political, social and historical impact of American Christian evangelical '"end-timers" with a critical eye.
  • In 2006 Senses Fail's new CD titled 'Still Searching' Included a song titled 'The Rapture'.
  • In 2006 Hurt's debut cd 'Vol. 1' included a song titled 'Rapture'
  • The 2006 album 'Saturday Night Wrist' by Deftones includes a song titled 'Rapture'
  • The 2007 album 'Resurrection' by Chimaira includes a song titled 'Resurrection'

While some of these views may have been popular for many years beforehand, there is no doubt that these movies and novels have influenced some people's thinking on the "rapture". Many rapture fiction novels demonstrate a different understanding of the gospel and the Christian life than that taught within the historic "orthodoxy" of evangelical Protestantism. This issue is explored in Rapture Fiction and the Evangelical Crisis by Crawford Gribben, 2006, ISBN 0-85234-610-7.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.aroundomaha.com/sschool/rapture.html
  2. ^ http://www.bibleprophesy.org/clement.htm
  3. ^ http://www.geocities.com/lasttrumpet_2000/timeline/jeffrey.html
  4. ^ http://www.khouse.org/articles/1995/39/
  5. ^ http://www.bibleprophesy.org/ancient.htm
  6. ^ http://www.geocities.com/lasttrumpet_2000/timeline/ephraem.html
  7. ^ http://us.geocities.com/worldview_3/2tribchurch.html
  8. ^ http://bibleprophesy.org/jesuitrapture.htm
  9. ^ http://www.raptureready.com/rr-margaret-mcdonald.html
  10. ^ http://www.bibleprophesy.org/vision.htm
  11. ^ http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Books,%20Tracts%20&%20Preaching/Printed%20Books/JIC/jic-intro.htm
  12. ^ http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/north7.html
  13. ^ http://www.raptureready.com/who/Hal_Lindsey.html
  14. ^ Rosenthal, Marv: "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church: Is It Biblical?", Regular Baptist Press (1991)
  15. ^ http://www.sonicyouth.com/mediakit/ratherripped_lyrics.html
  16. ^ http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blrapture.htm

Denominational rapture views

Other rapture websites and articles

Alternative rapture viewpoints

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