One should not believe in the 19th century hallucinations of Rap.
Besides, the Bible verse about left behind actually means left out, and remember, it is the bad people who are taken, not the good people. The only “rapture” will be at the end of the world when everybody is leaving, and those still alive will have to live through the destruction of the world - which actually has its upside: those who have the misfortune to be alive when the world goes up in flames will not have to endure purgatory, they will get all of that out of the way right here
The Rap is neither Biblical nor doctrinal. No one knows when the Second Coming of Christ will be, but the Father which is in Heaven (Acts 1:7).
As for a “rapture”, it is nowhere to be found in the Bible, and it is solely based on this verse :
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.
-1 Thessalonians 4:17
To be literally taken away is contrary to what Jesus taught about the resurrection, which will happen to all[1]. Even Paul didn’t make such assumption when he talked about someone being “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2).
There are many passages in the Scriptures that are symbolic, not literal. For example, Peter taught about “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13); does this mean that God has created a new planet for the righteous, somewhere in the Universe, or that Peter is rather talking about the restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven (as explained above, in the first paragraph)?
Interpreting literally the Scriptures is missing the spiritual context from which they were given. When searching truths in the Scriptures, we must first search to be taught by the Holy Ghost (Matthew 16:15-17, John 14:26). A few weeks ago, some Christian debated that it was impossible to understand the Holy Ghost without reading the Scriptures, but such claim forget that these very teachings—about the Holy Ghost—were only put in writing decades after Christ’s ascension and, yet, many still felt—and recognized—the Holy Ghost. Because the Holy Ghost comes from righteousness (Matthew 6:33), and the Scriptures are a tool unto that righteousness.
Lies...