In this brief article, Fr. Anthony expresses with clarity the truth of the false teaching known as the “Rapture” and how much it distorts the teachings of the Lord in the Holy Scriptures.Posted on 07/27/2016 8:46:41 PM PDT by NRx
By Fr. Anthony M. Coniaris
In this brief article, Fr. Anthony expresses with clarity the truth of the false teaching known as the “Rapture” and how much it distorts the teachings of the Lord in the Holy Scriptures.
As I was driving one day I encountered a bumper sticker admonishing me:
“WARNING! In the event of Rapture, this car will be driverless.”
The strange belief in the Rapture teaches that some day (sooner rather than later), without warning, born-again Christians will begin to float up from the freeway, abandoned vehicles careening wildly. There will be airliners in the sky suddenly with no one at the controls! Presumably, God is removing these favored ones from earth to spare them the tribulation of the Anti-Christ which the rest of us will have to endure.
Unfortunately the Rapture has been promoted widely by the Left Behind series of books that have sold over 70 million copies.
The Rapture represents a radical misinterpretation of Scripture. I remember watching “Sixty Minutes”a year ago and was appalled to hear the announcer say that “the Rapture is an unmistakenly Christian doctrine”. It is not!
It is a serious distortion of Scripture.
It is astonishing that a belief so contrary to Scripture and the tradition of the Church could be propagated by so-called “Christians”.
According to the Bible and according to the belief not only of Orthodox Christians but also of the Roman Catholic and most Protestant mainline churches, the true Rapture will not be secret; it will be the great and very visible Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the world. That is the one and only “Rapture”. It will not be a separate, secret event but one that every eye shall see (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
The word rapture is not found in Scripture but hearkens to 1 Thess. 4:17 where St. Paul says that when the Lord comes again
“we who are alive…shall be caught up…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
This “being caught up…in the clouds”—arpagisometha in Greek, is translated by some as “raptured”. The word itself is not found in Orthodox theology.
The notion of a rapture in which Christ comes unseen to take believers away secretly, and only later comes back again for everyone else publicly—this whole teaching is quite novel. It was almost unheard of until John Nelson Darby formulated it in the 1800s as part of a new approach to the Bible, sometimes called “dispensationalism”.
The purpose of the “Rapture” is to protect the elect from the tribulations of the end times. Yet Jesus said nothing about sparing anyone from tribulation. In fact, He said,
“In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”
Nowhere did Jesus ever say that He would return secretly to rapture the elect. Rather, He promised to be with His elect in all tribulations.
“Lo, I am with you always. I will never leave you or forsake you.”
He even had something good to say about being persecuted:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10).
Those who espouse the Rapture claim that Matthew 24:40-41 refers clearly to the rapture of the just,
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
The entire passage, however, refers to Christ’s second coming where He will judge the living and the dead and separate the just from the unjust.
Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal that the Lord will reign on earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4), this figure is to be taken literally, rather than as a symbol for eternity as we believe. The Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 condemned as heresy this teaching which is called chialiasmos (millenianism or 1000 years).
In fact, the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787 A.D.) in which the essential truths of the Christian faith were defined never mention a rapture. Yet evangelical Christians and Pentecostals keep using obscure passages of the book of Revelation which purport to give a detailed timetable of what will happen at the end of the world, despite the fact that Jesus Himself warned that no man knows either the day or the hour when the Son of Man shall return.
A major problem with the Rapture is that it ends up teaching not two but three comings of Jesus—first His birth in Bethlehem; second, His secret coming to snatch away (rapture) the “born-again”; and third, His coming at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead and to reign in glory. Yet only two not three comings of Christ are mentioned in the Bible. We have the clearest definition of this in the Nicene Creed when we confess that
“the Lord Jesus Christ…will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no end…. I expect the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the ages to come.”
There is no mention of a “Rapture”.
As already stated, most Christians, Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants do not believe in the Rapture. In fact, one Protestant pastor, John L. Bray, summarized magnificently what we Orthodox and most other Christians believe about the Rapture when he wrote these remarkable words,
Though many believe and teach this “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” theory, they erroneously do so, because neither Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, nor any of the other writers of the Bible taught this. Nor did the early church fathers, nor any others for many hundreds of years…. Did you know that NONE of this was ever taught prior to 1812, and that all forms of Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching were developed since that date? …. If I were to preach something, or believe something, supposedly from the Bible, but cannot find that ANYONE ELSE before 1812 ever believed it or taught it, I would seriously question that it is based on the Bible.
Thus the Rapture is foreign to the Bible and to the living tradition of the Church. It is what we call a heresy, a false teaching. False teachings, such as this, happen when people—like John Darby—believe that they have the right to interpret the Scriptures individually apart from the Living Body of Christ—the Church—where the Spirit of Truth abides and leads us to all truth.
I can think of no better words to conclude than those of Jesus when He speaks of the one and only “Rapture”, the Second Coming:
“Be on guard. Be alert! You do not know when that time will come…keep watch…if he comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!” (Mark 13:32-37).
He thinks you are disingenuously criticizing him through the use of “love and peace” language...a sort of “texas style” “Bless your heart” if I read his post accurately! I thought your post was great and it convicted me to change my tact!
Thank you, and may God bless you.
The shedding of Jesus’ blood reaches forward and backward in time as we reckon time, God is outside of time so for him the shedding of Jesus’ blood was efficacious the moment he purposed it! Hence was the thief saved as were all those who were justified in times past by their faith!
“And He said that the real believers would be few in number”
He said that “few there be that find that straight and narrow way that leads to life everlasting”...this was prior to his crucifixion. As Revelation points to “multitudes from every tribe and nation being saved out of the Tribulation” that term “few” may be somewhat relative to how we understand numbers... Certainly billions may never be saved but many hundreds of millions(few compared to Billions) certainly shall be! What surprises will surface at the judgment? Certainly most won’t have their names in the book of Life after the 1000 year reign...but a few just might!
I don't regard saying it as a test of the legitimacy of my Christianity. I also don't acknowledge you as authorized to test my Christianity at all - let alone test me in anything. The problem is you, not Jesus Christ. Your lack of shame is appalling, and your arrogance is filthy.
The closest thing you remind me of, actually, is the Islamic Sharia police. You demand religious tests, you wield the bible like a weapon, you claim authority to attack my faith, and you accept no responsibility for your outrageous behavior, which includes contempt for any other cultural appreciation as evidence of heresy. In fact, you give every impression of being a book burner and a theocratic maniac.
You demand a triply repeated religious pledge? Okay - I reject you in the name of Jesus Christ, I reject you in the name of Jesus Christ, I reject you in the name of Jesus Christ.
Get thee behind me.
It was why you said what you said.
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. You tried love bombing me to stop me from defending myself from slander.
Nasty.
You know exactly what you did, and why. You just don't like that I know it too - and am calling you on it.
I must say, the hatred and abuse I've received here for simply quoting Jesus's greatest commandment AS His greatest commandment has been astonishing. it reminds me of the attacking orc army in LOTR. I am appalled - and disgusted.
I speculated that viciousness hiding as Christianity creates liberals. I had no idea how right I am, and the proof is on this very thread.
I’m sorry you think that. It was not my intent. I think both sides have been overheated, and I responded to the last post at that time.
I don’t hate you, nor wish evil upon you. I honestly meant what I posted, whether you believe it or not.
Peace,
K51
Oh lots of things can be said “in His name”....
Well I forgive you....
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh! What you think of me isn’t that important, but it might be for others watching how 1John4 might be applied!
We are all dust and I thank God that he is mindful of it lest we all have been destroyed at the least sign of his displeasure with us! Very well, I leave you the first stone with which to cast at me...I shall have already gone before it hits its mark leaving nothing but a clattering echo in your mind!
And that, right there, is the terrorism you promote as Christianity.
I do not forgive you, mocker. The only ones who court destruction are those like you who seek to harm Christ's children. He said so, and He meant it. You will not escape.
wiiiiiiiiiiizz....clang......clattering echos in an empty street...
(and let the wind say....he couldn’t say it...he couldn’t say Jesus Christ is come in the flesh)
You wouldn’t want to miss this, as per your insight ...
He’s a wingnut
Good reason to avoid religion threads
It’s funny he thinks I’m judgemental muscular cultural Christian
He must not read my posts
I get lectured frequently for being too hedonist
No if doofus had said that I’m very provincionally southern and racially impolitic then guilty
HMMMmmm...
Matthew 25:13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
It appears that IF it could be figgered out; we'd not have to Keep Watch.
Not ONLINE?
Why do I have to non-virtually look it up?
Surely AMAZON would carry it; right?
Is BECAUSE??
Way to quadruple down!
BTW; what causes YOUR vicious, unjustified slander and hatred that is directed my way?
Love?
Thanks for the info; as I thought it was gas.
"Do not think it strange...
you are acting demonically.
No, you're no Christian.
you are a fraud.
Come on; tell us what you REALLY feel!
DARED to oppose...
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