Why the Rapture isn’t Biblical… And Why it Matters

Patheos ^ | June 4, 2014 | Kurt Williams

[Cronos]

I grew up in church culture. Most of what I recall from those early childhood and teenage years bring memories of good things. People genuinely taught me that loving Jesus matters more than anything else in the world. The world, after all, is corrupt and the place we truly long for is far, far away – heaven. So we are to love Jesus and hate the world.

Now, this is not hatred toward the people on earth. I did not grow up in a church culture that taught that we ought to tell outsiders how much they suck, but that this “world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through.”

World and physicality = bad.
Jesus and spiritual bliss in a distant heaven = goal of the game.

This distinction came with a subset of beliefs about the destiny of God’s world. Eventually this planet would be destroyed and we Christians would “fly away” to heaven at the rapture of the church. Certain Christians understood the timing of the rapture as it corresponds to the book of Revelation differently than others, but no one ever denied the imminent return of Jesus to evacuate the church out of earth.

What I’ve come to realize is that the church of my youth probably had the rapture all wrong. You see, the Bible flows from Creation (Gen 1-2) to Renewed Creation (Rev 21-22). This is the narrative of Scripture. Nothing in the text (if read in its proper context) alludes to the actual complete destruction of the planet. This world’s worth to the Creator runs deep and because of this, the world as a whole ought to be intrinsically valuable to us.

Physical/earthly realities such as social injustice, violence, hunger, preventable sickness, and the destruction of nature are invitations to the church of Jesus to get our hands dirty and proclaim that this world matters (even in its broken state)! Christ will complete creation upon his return, uniting heaven and earth for the life of the age to come!

The famous “rapture” passage is found in 1 Thessalonians 4.15-17 and reads:

According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

This passage, when placed in the larger context of the chapter, is answering questions that Christians in Thessalonica had concerning death. What has happened to our loved ones who have died before the return of Christ to earth? What is theirs and our ultimate destiny? Paul’s answer: bodily resurrection at the return of Christ to earth! Not an escape into the sky [see appendix below!].

In this passage, Paul borrows two specific images from the Old Testament that would have been familiar to Jewish converts and Gentiles who were familiarizing themselves with the Hebrew tradition. The first of these that Paul employs in the text has to do with Moses who comes down from Mount Sinai with the Law with the great blast of the trumpet.

The second image is taken from Daniel chapter 7 where the “one like the son of man” (or “human being” or “The Human One”) and the community he represents is vindicated over the enemies of the people of God. Clouds here symbolize the power and authoritative judgement of God about the rescue of his people. This idea now seems to be applied to Christians who are facing various forms of persecution.

Finally, there is a third image in the text that comes from outside of the canonical context. This is the image of an emperor who visits a city. The people of that region would have gone out to meet him to usher him into their home in a royal procession out in the open air. This, Paul seems to apply to the church who will usher in their King into the new creation.***

Rapture, as it is popularly understood, is nowhere to be found in this “rapture” passage. Christ will return to resurrect, to purge, to heal, and to establish the eternal kingdom of God on this earth. Heaven and earth will unite like a bride and husband – for all eternity. That’s it.

The Bible teaches that when Christ comes back, it will be Good News! “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’” (Revelation 21.4). Surely we cannot erase judgment from the picture, but the hope is that those in Christ will be raised to eternal life and everything that is wrong with this world will be made right.

This world renewed is going to be our home for eternity, and we have the opportunity to reflect that future in our present. Rapture invites us to escape this world: the last thing that Jesus would have ever taught! “On earth as in heaven” is what he said, not “in heaven away from the earth!” Our world’s future is hopeful. Let’s tell that story and not the escapist narratives that many of us grew up with.

[Kurt Note: This article is an adaptation from various pieces that are part of my “rapture” category.]

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APPENDIX

Word Study, 1 Thessalonians 4.17 (Warning: a bit more technical!)

Below is a Word Study that I did based on 1 Thessalonians 4.17. What is interesting to me is how it reinforced my belief that the “rapture” as it is popularly understood (Jesus secretly returns to extract believers from earth to heaven for eternity) is completely unwarranted. If you choose to follow the logic below, you will know why 🙂

1. Word Identification

The word underlying “air” in 1 Thessalonians 4.17 is the Greek word “ἀήρ” (Strong’s: #109).

2. Frequency and Distribution

• Roman Historical Narrative (1x, Acts – 1)
• Pauline Letter (4x, 1Cor – 2, Eph – 1, 1Thes – 1)
• Apocalyptic (2x, Rev – 2)

The usage of ἀήρ in the New Testament by verse:

Acts 22:23

…εἰς τὸν ἀέρ
…dust into the air,

1Co 9:26

…ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δέρων·
…one that beateth the air:

1Co 14:9

…γὰρ εἰς ἀέρα λαλοῦντες.
…shall speak into the air.

Eph 2:2

…ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος…
…power of the air, the spirit that…

1Th 4:17

…κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα καὶ οὕτως…
…the Lord in the air: and so shall…

Rev 9:2

…καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ ἐκ τοῦ…
…sun and the air were darkened by…

Rev 16:17

…ἐπὶ τὸν ἀέρα καὶ ἐξῆλθεν…
…vial into the air; and there came…

3. Meaning

1) the air, particularly the lower and denser air as distinguished from the higher and rarer air 2)the atmospheric region[1]

After surveying the above seven occurrences, it is clear that the definition is simply the area of unseen space in our atmosphere. Below, the meaning in its various usages are explained:

ἀήρ (aēr, 109), ἀέρος, ὁ, (ἄημι, ἄω, [cf. ἄνεμος, init.]), the air (particularly the lower and denser, as distinguished from the higher and rarer ὁ αἰθήρ, cf. Hom. Il. 14, 288), the atmospheric region: Acts xxii. 23; 1 Th. iv. 17; Rev. ix. 2, xvi. 17; ὁ ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος in Eph. ii. 2 signifies “the ruler of the powers (spirits, see ἐξουσία 4 c. ββ.) in the air”, i. e. the devil, the prince of the demons that according to Jewish opinion fill the realm of air (cf. Mey. ad loc.; [B. D. Am. ed. s. v. Air; Stuart in Bib. Sacr. for 1843, p. 139 sq.]). Sometimes indeed, ἀήρ denotes a hazy, obscure atmosphere (Hom. Il. 17, 644; 3, 381; 5, 356, etc.; Polyb. 18, 3, 7), but is nowhere quite equiv. to σκότος,— the sense which many injudiciously assign it in Eph. 1. c. ἀέρα δέρειν (cf. verberat ictibus auras, Verg. Aen. 5, 377, of pugilists who miss their aim) i. e. to contend in vain, 1 Co. ix. 26; εἰς ἀέρα λαλεῖν (verba ventis profundere, Lucr. 4, 929 (932)) “to speak into the air” i. e. without effect, used of those who speak what is not understood by the hearers, 1 Co. xiv. 9.*[2]

Although ἀήρ is not a word that is frequent in the New Testament, it is interesting to note that there is only one other word that is translated into English as “air.” The Greek οὐρανός has a different meaning when used as “air” than ἀήρ. Rather than referring to the “lower and denser air as distinguished from the higher and rarer air,” it means:

1. the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it

1. a. the universe, the world
2. b. the aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds and the tempests gather, and where thunder and lightning are produced
3. c. the sidereal or starry heavens

2. the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings[3]

It seems that the difference between these two words will prove to be significant. The word in the 1 Thessalonians text indicates the “air” of the “lower” region as opposed to the “heavens” as οὐρανός can also be translated (heavens – 24x, heavenly – 1, heaven – 218). In other words, Paul had an option to use either of the words to talk about the “air” but he chose to use the word that refers mostly to the lower atmospheric region.

4. Meaning in Context

In the context of 1 Thessalonians 4.17, Paul is answering questions regarding the blessed Christian hope. What happens to Christ-followers who die before the return of the Messiah? Are they gone forever? And what about those of us who are waiting for this day? What are we to look forward to? In answer to these kinds of questions Paul describes the coming of Jesus as a moment of resurrection. Because Jesus died and rose again, his followers will someday be like him. They will have bodies that are restored to the image of Christ who is the image of God.

Paul in this passage uses mixed metaphors to communicating the reality of the final resurrection. He employs imagery from the Old Testament as well as from Roman royalty. Christ will appear in such a way that it will be like Moses when he descended down from the Mountain of Sinai. He will come with the “clouds” meaning that he will come with the power / authority of heaven like the “son of Man” in Daniel 7. When this happens all followers of Jesus will be gathered around their King and will usher him into the new heavens and new earth.

Unfortunately, the present passage of Scripture has been interpreted in several different ways; mostly indicating that the return of Christ will be a rapturous moment when God will snatch believers away from this evil world to meet him in the “air” (up in heaven) for eternity. There are several problems with this approach (too numerous to look at for this word study). The current word study exposes one of the fallacies in this interpretive scheme.

Had the Apostle wanted to communicate that Christ coming downward to take us upward was the goal of the 2^nd coming, he could have chosen to use a word like οὐρανός. This word, which is interpreted as “air” on some occasions (as indicated above), would have given the impression that going to meet Christ in the “air” was a upward heavenly route. However, what this word study has discovered is that the word Paul chose to use was one that indicates the lower part of the atmosphere. Paul had a grammatical choice to make, and clearly he did not want to misguide his first century audience by making them think that being “with the Lord forever” actually meant going to heaven, away from the creation project. So, in order to keep his metaphorical devices in place without giving the wrong impression, he chose to use ἀήρ to indicate that he was not talking about escaping this world; but rather being part of its redemptive process. If the alternative word had been selected, Paul would have given us the opportunity to affirm cosmological dualism.

5. Verification

There is no dispute of how ἀήρ is to be translated from Greek into English among the translations. In every version that was checked (ESV, KJV, NIV, and TNIV) this word is translated as “air.”

After consulting the “Easton Bible Dictionary” we find that this word study’s findings about the meaning of the word ἀήρ is consistent and verified. It states: “The atmosphere, as opposed to the higher regions of the sky (1Th_4:17; Rev_9:2; Rev_16:17).”[4] This is also confirmed by the UBS Greek Dictionary: “air; ethereal region above the earth, space.”[5]

---

FOOTNOTES

***N. T. Wright, “Farewell to Rapture,” Biblical Review (August 2001). http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm (accessed October, 2009).

[1]http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=109&version=nas

[2] http://www.greekbiblestudy.org/gnt/greekWordStudy.do?id=100095&greek=false

[3] http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=3772&version=nas

[4] See: Easton Bible Dictionary. Available Online at: http://refbible.com/a/air.htm

[5] The Greek New Testament With Greek-English Dictionary by B. Aland (Editor), K. Aland (Editor), J. Karavidopoulos (Editor), B. M. Metzger (Editor), C. M. Martini (Editor)

[Cronos]

Those are distinct from saying the created is part of the creator.

[Cronos]

The popular version of the rapture came about around the mid-to-late 1800’s; see John Nelson Darby.

It didn’t get widespread coverage till “Late Great Planet Earth” book came out. .

True - it is a piece of fiction that we see the Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists went hysterical about and now are spreading to others

[Cronos]

Let's go through this:

1. there is no mention of "rapture" 1 Thessalonians 4:16 very clearly is talking of those who died before Christ -

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so will God bring with Him those also who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord: that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

17 then we who 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.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Rev 4:1 is about John seeing in his vision.

Jesus HAS resurrected. He went down to the dead and opened the gates of heaven for all - including those asleep

The word Rapture doesn't come from rapturo -- rapture (n.),bR>
c. 1600, "act of carrying off," from Middle French rapture, from Medieval Latin raptura "seizure, rape, kidnapping," from Latin raptus "a carrying off, abduction, snatching away; rape" (see rapt). Earliest attested use in English is of women and in 17c. it sometimes meant rape (v.), which word is a cognate of this. Sense of "spiritual ecstasy, state of mental transport" first recorded c. 1600 (raptures).

it wasn't in the Bible in the sense you use it in - not even in the Vulgate

The Tribulation period is clearly as you read from REv 1 when John who shares in the reads tribulations talks of the Nero based persecutions of the Church, just at the same time that Sadducee and Pharisee persecution of the Christ-follower sect (yes, the Christians were still a sect of 2nd temple Judaism along with the Pharisee sect) was also peaking

[circlecity]

Nobody said that. I said the creator is present in everything. Not that the creation in part of him.

[Cronos]

I had to look up that gobbledygook word. In any case -- Jesus Himself said "this generation will not pass" - this is based on Jesus prophecy.

Furthermore, the dating of book of the Apocalypse has - the ancient syriac version starting with "written in Patmos, to which John was sent by Nero Caesar"

The book states that it was written in a time of persecution - rev1:9, 2:10, 12:11 -- Domitian didn't persecute Christians in the 90s-100. Nero did

Furthermore the book refers to the 7 Roman princeps - Caesar, Augustuc, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba

[Cronos]

And Christians didn’t suffer the wrath of God that was the destruction of the Harlot-city of Jerusalem (cross-reference Hosea) - they recalled the prophecy of Jesus and the book of the Apocalypse and fled before the destruction - not a single Christian was killed - they fled to the hills around Jerusalem as Christ ordered

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“This isn’t my opinion - it’s what God said

It’s your YOPIOS.

I do wish you the best.

Stand close by though....

[Cronos]

And history shows it in the same light I did
1. the 7 “kings” with the 7th having a short reign - that’s only the 7 Princeps with Galba reigning 6 months
2. Egypt was not an empire ruling over Israel - at the most they were a vassal state
3. Media was not in a separate timeline empire after Babylon - they with the BAbylonians defeated Assyria
4. the Roman Empire, nor the Holy Roman empire was “wounded by the sword but did live”
5. The holy Roman Empire never came anywhere near Jerusalem
6. the Rev 17:12 ten “kings” are rulers appointed by Caesar - including the Herodians. The 10 horns derive their authority from the beast, just as the Herodians did

Look at the big picture and the detailed picture and at Christ’s prophecy - it is clear he said “this generation”, it is clear He meant the destruction of Jerusalem.

This ties in to the historical picture and is why Christianity spread so wide even after the destruction of the 2nd temple

[Cronos]

The early Church fathers all believed that the book of the Apocalypse clearly spelt out the destruction of the harlot-city of Jerusalem (as we see referencing Hosea and Isaiah) and the new temple that is Christ

[caww]

The Tribulation is called specifically “the time of Jacob’s Trouble,” (Israel) and it is important that we have this clearly in mind. IT IS NOT THE TIME OF THE CHURCH’S TROUBLE.

....If Christians, wile they study the scriptures, would always ‘distinguish carefully’ what prophecy has to say concerning the Jew, the gentile, and the church of God, it would not be difficult to clear up this entire subject. ...It is by confusing these three distinct classes that many unscriptural theories are foisted on the people of God.

There are in fact two distinct stages of our Lord’s return presented in the New Testament... He is coming ‘FOR’ His saints; this is the rapture that precedes the great tribulation... And He is going to be manifested ‘WITH’ all His saints when he descends to exercise judgement on those who have persisted in rejecting His grace;.. this is when He will establish His glorious kingdom to reign in righteousness over this world.

In other words the rapture is always ‘distinguished’ from the coming of the Son of man....It is the Lord’s coming ‘for’ His saints whereas the other is His coming ‘with’ them.

[Cronos]

it’s not my personal opinion - God, Jesus the Christ said “in this generation” - He talked of the destruction of the 2nd temple. The book fot he Apocalypse also makes it clear that it references the destruction of the harlot-city of Jerusalem (reference Isaiah and hosea)

[dartuser]

Heard it all before ...

https://pre-trib.org/media/k2/assets/Documents/hitchcock-dissertation.pdf

[Cronos]

“There is no Jew, there is no gentile” - or do you disagree with that?

The book of the Apocalypse is written to the christ-believing Jewish sect.

The “leave behind” rapture is not even written about in scripture.

[Cronos]

Your pastor also falls into the cardinal error of not believing Jesus that “this generation” will see the destruction of the Temple. It happened - in 69 AD, within a generation (40 years) of the death of the Christ

[Cronos]

Those are incorrect talkign points that complete ignore the usage of symbolism such as the numbers 6,7,1000 in the book of the Apocalypse. And the pdf is kinda false in that it ignores the fact that Domitian didn’t inaugurate a persecution, a tribulation of Christians, unlike Nero.

[Cronos]

furthermore, I light on one of the many errors in that pdf - about seeing the apocalypse - the phrase “that was seen” is from a masculine verb in the original, and may refer either to John OR the Revelation. The subject matter is John, who would have named the man whose number was 666 if it had been necessary. So, it was JOHN who was seen as late as the last years of Domitian’s reign, NOT the Revelation (see John 21:20-25).

Sorry but there are so, so many biblical and historical errors in that pdf. Please do research for yourself and read the book of the Apocalypse in conjunciton with Matthew 24, hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah as well as Daniel 7 and 10 and you will see that this is clearly, clearly about the Christ’s prophecy of the destruction of the 2nd temple and of the harlot-city of Jerusalem

[caww]

Many have taught in the past, and some still teach, that the Old Testament passages referring to the great tribulation were all fulfilled in the days of Israel’s sufferings under the nations, after the fall of Jerusalem, particularly in the era of Antiochus Epiphanes, who is sometimes called the Old Testament antichrist....... But a careful examination of the scriptures of the prophets having to do with this time of trial, and a comparison of these with New Testament declarations, make this position absolutely untenable.

Others have supposed that the great tribulation referred either to the days of persecution under pagan emperors of Rome for two bloody centuries, following the death of the apostle Paul, or perhaps the even more fearful persecutions under the papacy during the dark ages. But there are very definite statements made by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself that positively negate any such view and make it evident that this solemn period of judgement is still ‘in the future’

[justa-hairyape]

The surface of the Earth is very complex. And has hints of artificial upheaval at unheard of scales. For example, in our solar system, only Earth has plate tectonics. So one can speculate the cracked surface may not be natural. So earth’s history really needs to go back a couple hundred million years to whatever caused our single continent to crack. That event brought us into these cyclic ice ages eventially. Imho.

[Just mythoughts]

What is your preferred denomination? Do you know who the literal ‘anti-Christ’ is? And NO I do not believe Jesus Our Lord and Savior will be making a quick trip in the clouds, to collect anyone. He never even hinted as such a happening. Paul was teaching where those that died were ... Gravity is not going to allow flesh bodies to float up to heaven.

The Creator owns this earth and His favorite stated place is Jerusalem and He intends to reclaim it. That ‘tribulation’ so many shake in fear over is ‘mass deception’, not a ‘blood letting’.

[ravenwolf]

Like I said, I look at the big picture which history has already been verified, details are fine only if they are understood but I have
read dozens of opinions and they all shoot them selves in the foot
with one little scripture here or there.

The church of Rome is the only thing that rev 17 could be describing
as Isreal has had no power for hundreds of years but no matter where you
go there has been a Roman church there long ahead of you, it is right
before our very eyes.

The scattering of the holy people took place in the first century but
the gospel preached to all of the world never happened until our time,
we have saw it.

I will not comment on any thing else because as I said I can
only see the big picture, except that John said there are ten
kings who have received no kingdom but will receive a kingdom
one hour with the beast which leaves no doubt he is talking
about a future age, our age.