Few things get theologians more riled up than asserting that The Rapture is going to happen at a time different than what they, themselves, may believe. I've seen people get vicious. Which is interesting, when you really think about it, because the Bible seems to give us a pretty clear picture of when the Rapture takes place. Now, I'm not talking about date-setting, because we don't know the exact hour or day - not from where we are right now (Matthew 24:36). Date-setting is heretical. But. . . .
. . . Jesus does tell us, numerous times, to watch and be ready. Watch what? If it's impossible to have any idea, whatsoever, when He's coming back, then why watch? And what, exactly, does watching and being ready actually mean?
Let's look at a few things that Jesus has to say about this:
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things [Matthew 24:1-31], you know that it is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:32-33).
What's His point? "Look, you know how to read the signs of the fig tree, so learn to read the signs of the world."
"But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matthew 24:43-44).
There are two ways to interpret this. The first seems pretty straightforward: "the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." In other words, you don't know when He's coming, so be ready. But look at Jesus' "If" statement: If you knew about what time someone was going to break into your home, wouldn't you be ready for it? Therefore, Jesus says, be ready - be ready, just like the guy who knows when the thief is coming. Sounds an awful lot like we can have a general idea, doesn't it? But then He tacks on that weird clause: "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." As I said, I think most of us take that to mean: it could be any day. But when we take it in context of what Jesus has just finished saying ("watch for the signs, just like you watch the fig tree" and "be ready, just like the owner of the house who knows exactly when the thief is coming"), then Jesus may not be saying, "It could be any day, maybe in the next five seconds." What He might be saying is that lots of people are going to give you lots of opinions, but check them to make sure they are Scriptural, because there will be enough in the Scriptures for you to know when the time will be - again, not necessarily the day or hour, but a general concept of what to look for.
Let's reiterate, this is not date-setting. Take a few months and read through the Bible, and you'll find that, not once, does God give us a date. Never. Not once. If you see someone tell you that the Rapture will happen by, say, the 3rd of October, 2017, run from them. Flee their teaching: it's wrong. God does not give us a specific date. He does, however, give us a whole lot of stuff to look for, and some of it is pretty specific, specific enough that we can, if we are familiar with the Scriptures, say, "Yep, the time is getting nearer." I can look, for example, and see our world moving ever-closer to a one-world economy. The U.S. economy can't keep going the way it is - collapse is inevitable. Parts of Europe and Asia are experiencing collapse in several markets - and our economies are so closely linked that, should the American economy actually collapse, most of the world will follow. That seems, to me at least, to be a good time to implement a one-world economy, like we see in Revelation 13:16-17; when the Old Order collapses, usher in the New Order.
The world - even as the Gospel is spreading throughout the planet - is growing ever-more intolerant of Christianity. In places like China, which has always persecuted the underground Church, persecution is stepping up. We've watched, for a couple of years now, as ISIS has gone after Middle Eastern Christians. In America, laws are being passed that are making it illegal to hold certain viewpoints as a Christian - our religious freedom is being systematically removed. We're certainly not being executed, so I'm not comparing our plight with believers in the Middle East, but what we're seeing here is a precursor to that. Even now, in light of the recent shooting in Orlando, we see people blaming Christians for the act of a Muslim; this is the quintessential definition of "scapegoat." So when we read that The Beast from the Abyss wages war against, and conquers, Christians [Revelation 13:7], I can see our globe moving ever-closer to that scenario.
But these are all theoretical, and things could certainly turn around, so let's move on to something more tangible and Biblical. Now, I'm about to wade into some potentially dangerous waters, so please hear out what I have to say, and then I will give some rationale for this: true, Jesus did not know when He was returning while He was here on earth - He said it Himself. But that doesn't mean that He's still ignorant of it. If, after His Ascension, after He received His glorified body, after He was given authority of Heaven and Earth, He still does not know when He's returning, then does He really have all authority?
Now, the reason I call this dangerous is because it could lead to some of us thinking that the Bible cannot be trusted. Here's the potential argument: "Well, if Jesus didn't know about His return, but now He does, then He could have been wrong about other things." But here's the deal: Jesus wasn't wrong about His return when He said He didn't know the day or the hour, He simply didn't know - and He told us as much. This wasn't a mistake on His part, but an open honesty about His own human limitations, limitations that have no evidence, whatsoever, of spilling out into any other area of His teaching. Remember, Jesus taught with great authority, but He could also only say what the Father told Him to say (John 8:28). This isn't an issue of Jesus being wrong, just an issue of Jesus - as a man - having limited divine knowledge. Therefore, the question remains: is He still ignorant?
I would venture to say, no, because He revealed much to the Apostles in the years between His Ascension and the exile of John. But let's be clear, even with all that the Apostles reveal - through Christ - in the Scriptures, they still never give an exact hour or day. Even with added revelation, Jesus is not contradicted. Now, I know that some of you who read this are still going to balk and say, "But Jesus said we can't know the day or hour! Plus, the Apostles all thought Jesus was coming back in their lifetime!"
Yes, they appeared to, that's true. But the Apostles didn't have the Book of Revelation. Peter, Paul, James - they all died before John received the Apocalypse (which is Greek for "Revelation," not "End of the World in a Fiery Cataclysm that Destroys All Life on Earth," which is how modern American film culture defines it). It would make sense, therefore, that we would take all of the information that they give us in their letters, look at that in light of what Jesus says in the Gospels, and filter all of that through the Book of Revelation. And when we do that, Jesus' admonition to watch the signs becomes way, way easier, and involves very little guesswork.
Now, some of you may still be saying, "We can't know, because Jesus said so! Besides, eschatology doesn't matter; only the Gospel matters!"
I've actually heard these arguments, which is why I bring them up. First of all, we do have to be careful not to follow every theory and every conspiracy claim out there, looking for far-reaching "examples" of The End in order to "prove" everyone wrong. I agree with that, and I agree with the fact that we don't need to scour Youtube for "proof" that the Rapture is about to happen. Eschatology should always be filtered and presented in light of the fact that Jesus can be trusted, that He is God, that He died for the sins of the world, rose again, and will return. But to claim that eschatology doesn't matter is to claim that sections of the Bible don't matter, and if that were true, God wouldn't have revealed it. Since God did reveal it, and since Jesus admonished us to study the signs, then it's probably something we should take seriously.
But there's a deeper issue with the above argument, the argument that appeals to one single verse, while denying the importance of a good deal of the New Testament: if you approach this area of Scripture in this manner, how do you approach other areas? If you deny the importance of key elements of the Scriptures, how do you know you have key elements of the Gospel correct? My guess is, you may not.
"Well, all I know is that Jesus is returning, and that's good enough!"
Yeah, so did the foolish virgins in Matthew 25, yet they were shut out from the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13). So what do we do? How do we study this topic without getting sucked into debates and far-flung theories and foolishness?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we study the Scriptures. We learn what they say, we learn what they don't, and we recognize Paul's advice in Romans 14:1, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." And while many people would claim that the Rapture is a disputable matter, the Scriptures do give us quite a few signs. So let's look at those, and then we'll see how it applies to the Gospel in the here and now.
The actual spelled-out doctrine of the Rapture is non-existent; we need to be clear. There is no passage in the Bible that lays out, detail for detail, every single aspect of this event (there is nothing, for example, that says that we will all disappear, naked, leaving a pile of clothes behind). Nonetheless, there is a large number of passages that addresses the concept (sort of like "the Trinity"), and Jesus Himself starts it off in Matthew 24:30-33; 36-41:
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. . . .
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the Flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the Flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."
Now, this sounds a lot like Jesus will "take" believers at the sign of His physical return in Revelation 19:11-16. It really does. And I'll admit, that may be the case. But I want to temporarily call attention to only one factor here (we'll return to the rest in the next post!), and that is that His angels will "gather the elect . . . with a loud trumpet call." This sentiment is echoed in I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11:
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till 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. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Okay, two things. Firstly, notice Paul reiterates this idea of the "trumpet call of God" with the Rapture: "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" (4:16-17). Jesus is going to command something, "the archangel" is going to shout, there will be a trumpet call, and believers will "meet the Lord in the air."
Clear? Absolutely. But notice something else, Paul uses Jesus' term "thief in the night." Most of us, especially those raised on A Thief in the Night, have always believed that "thief in the night" refers to how the entire world, including Christians, will view the Rapture. But Paul says something in this passage that many of us have long-overlooked: "We know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night . . . but you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief" (5:2,4). What's Paul saying? If you're a believer, you shouldn't be caught off-guard by it - you'll know when it's coming.
Now, let's look at one more word from Paul. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, he writes:
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality (15:50-53).
Paul's point here is fairly obvious, and that is that, since our sinful flesh cannot enter the kingdom of God, then, by the grace of Jesus (see 15:57), our bodies will be changed into our new, glorified bodies, in the same way that Jesus, after His resurrection, had a glorified body. The second point here is that Paul tells us that the recurring trumpet motif is not just a random trumpet, but is the "last trumpet" in an uncounted series of trumpets. Perhaps there will be two, maybe fifty - he doesn't say. Only that, it is "the last trumpet," and for there to be a "last," there must be a first.
Have we heard any Divine trumpets? Not yet. Since, therefore, there hasn't been a first yet, there can't be a last. But there is one more sign to look for, and we find this in II Thessalonians 2:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come (1-2).
In other words, the church at Thessalonica was worried that they had missed "being gathered to Him."
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (3-4).
Do we see this? Do we see, now, why we cannot claim the Rapture to be "at any moment"? Because Paul himself, who claimed to have visions of heaven (II Corinthians 12:1-7), tells us that "The Rebellion" (not "a rebellion," which happens all the time), and "The Man of Lawlessness" (again, not "a man of lawlessness," of which there are countless), must happen before we are "gathered to Him." In other words, believers will not be taken by God until after the Beast has risen, and after he has set himself up as god. Listen carefully: God does not promise to save us from the Tribulation and persecution of the saints, but He does promise to save us from the coming wrath.
But wait, aren't they the same thing?
In certain novels and movies, yes, but in the Bible, they are different. The difference is subtle, but clear: God brings judgments onto the earth during the persecution of His Church, under the Satanic rule of The Man of Lawlessness, in order to demonstrate His power and His Sovereignty over His people, in an effort to bring about a great harvest of believers before the Last Days. But once His church is removed, He pours out His wrath on the earth, and on the Kingdom of the Antichrist. We'll explore those ideas more in following posts.
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