Historically, the idea of rapture never existed until the 18th century. A lady who was sick hallucinated and thought she saw the saints being taken out of the earth before the wrath of God was unleashed on the world. Feel free to research the origin of the rapture theory on the internet to find out more. Biblically, though, the idea that saints will be caught away before great tribulation occurs is unsound. Let’s read what the Bible does say about the end of the world.
Matthew 24:37-41 (KJV)
(37) But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38) For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, (39) And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (40) Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (41) Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Many who believe in the rapture love to quote the scripture that one will be taken and the other left. Unfortunately, they fail to realize what being taken or left means. If you read the scripture just before, you realize that “the flood came and took them all away”. The ones who were taken in the flood “knew not” until that time. I tell you that Noah and his family certainly knew that the flood was coming, or else they would not have prepared for it. This means that Jesus could not have been speaking about Noah and his family. Instead, He was speaking about the wicked men being taken away in destruction by the flood. Don’t take my word for it; Jesus spoke other times about the same thing.
Matthew 13:24-30 (KJV)
(24) Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: (25) But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. (26) But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? (28) He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
According to the Words of Jesus, who or what was gathered first? The wheat, meaning the Christians, or the tares, meaning the evil men? The tares were gathered first to burn. This is not what is preached by those who assure us that Christians will be taken away before the end of the world. Can it be that I am misinterpreting this scripture? Let’s find out.
Matthew 13:36-43 (KJV)
(36) Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. (37) He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]; (39) The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (40) As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Here Jesus says it again; He will send his angels to “gather out of his kingdom all things that offend” and “cast them into a furnace of fire”. “Then”, He says, meaning “after this”, the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Twice Jesus is very clear. First, He says that the end of the world will be just as the days of Noah. In those days, the wicked were destroyed (taken away), and the righteous were left. Then He says the wicked (tares) will be gathered first to burn them, then the righteous (wheat) will be gathered into His barn (heaven). So, when the scripture is read that one will be taken and the other left, it should be understood that the one who was taken was the one who was destroyed, such as in the flood. The one who was left was the righteous man. As if that was not all, Jesus spoke yet again about the same thing!
Matthew 13:47-50 (KJV)
(47) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: (48) Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. (49) So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (50) And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Again, Jesus speaks about severing (cutting out) the wicked from among the just. He didn’t say that the righteous would be severed from among the wicked, which is what would happen if righteous men were “raptured out”. When the wicked men are severed (removed, taken away) from among the just, then the just men will remain. This is also said in Proverbs.
Proverbs 2:21-22 (KJV)
(21) For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. (22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Wicked men will be cut off from the earth. They won’t be left here alive.
The Gospel of Luke also records a part of this conversation that Matthew does not.
Luke 17:26-37 (KJV)
(26) And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. (27) They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (28) Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; (29) But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all. (30) Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (31) In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. (32) Remember Lot’s wife. (33) Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. (34) I tell you, in that night there shall be two [men] in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. (35) Two [women] shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (36) Two [men] shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (37) And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body [is], thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Let’s look at these scriptures piece by piece. First, Jesus says again that it will be the same at the end of the world as it was in the days of Noah. Remember that as far as the wicked men understood, the day the flood came was the end of the world. The entire earth was covered with a flood. Only the few men God protected, and their families, were saved alive. The entire rest of the world was destroyed.
Then, Jesus compares the end of the world to the days of Sodom. In those days, the wicked were destroyed with fire and brimstone, and only Lot and his two daughters were left. He says that one will be taken, and the other left. Does that mean that Lot and his family were taken, and the wicked men were left? I tell you NO; the wicked men were dead, not left behind. Can we verify this? Yes, Jesus goes on to answer a question “Where, Lord?” Jesus says “Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” Eagles and vultures don’t gather around a live person. They gather around dead bodies. Therefore, where the one is taken, there will be a dead body. The only way this makes sense is if the dead body is the one who was taken away by destruction or disease. I suspect that if your loved one was killed by a falling tree, while you and they were asleep, that you would say they were “taken from you too soon”. You might even say you were “left here”. Personally, I want to be left alive, not taken by destruction.
Preachers who believe in the rapture love to quote that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, because they believe that we will be caught away at that time.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-5 (KJV)
(2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (3) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (4) But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Listen carefully how this is spoken. The day of the Lord does, indeed, come as a thief in the night. It isn’t being spoken of here as a catching away, but as sudden destruction. However, it comes that way upon those who are children of darkness. The Bible says “they shall not escape”. But it goes on to say that the day of the Lord will not overtake us as a thief if we are children of the day.
Some have asked me why God’s children should be required to go through the time of the tribulation. The answer is very simple. God’s victories have never been fought “around” a problem, but always THROUGH them. The children of Israel in the wilderness were backed up against the Red Sea. Did they go around it? No, they went through the sea, and came out victorious on the other side. Did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego bypass the fire? No, they went through the fire and came out victorious on the other side. Did Daniel escape the lion’s den? No, he went into the lion’s den, and was victorious through his persecution. Did Jesus escape death? No, He went through death to conquer it, and gained the greatest victory of all time! Did the disciples of Jesus go around their trials? No, they were beaten, scourged, thrown in prison, shipwrecked on islands, stoned and left to die, and martyred. Yet through all this, they were victorious in the end.
Revelation 7:9-14 (KJV)
(9) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (10) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (11) And all the angels stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, (12) Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. (13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?(14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation describes a number of people so great that no man can number them, who came out of great tribulation. I want to be among those who came through the tribulation, who overcame. To say that Christians would be gone during the greatest battle between good and evil is to say that Christians are deserters. Imagine what would happen if America were to go to war with another nation, and Americans just decided not to come to the battlefield? The enemy would have won without a fight. This is what the people who believe in rapture are thinking — that in the greatest battle of all time, righteous men will not even be involved.
2 Timothy 3:12 (KJV)
(12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
For those who know that we will need to suffer persecution, and go through in order to overcome, we also need to be prepared. Noah prepared, and his household was saved.
Hebrews 11:7 (KJV)
(7) By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
We can prepare, too, by doing as Jesus said.
Luke 21:31-36 (KJV)
(31) So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. (32) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. (33) Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (34) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. (35) For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. (36) 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.
Matthew 24:42-44 (KJV)
(42) Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (43) But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. (44) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mark 13:35-37 (KJV)
(35) Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: (36) Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. (37) And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
WATCH AND PRAY – Be ready to refuse the Mark of the Beast.
Final note: Everything I have written here is also written throughout the entirety of the Bible. Once you begin to see it, you will see it everywhere, in the Old and New testaments. I have only provided a few scriptures here to build a foundation. If you want to know more, ask me and I will be happy to point you to other scriptures, and answer any further questions.
