The Rapture Lie
I chose the strong word in the title of this lesson for a very good reason. There’s a very dangerous doctrine circulating around in the Christian Church that will have dramatic effects on those who choose to walk down this false path. In this lesson, I want you to see that this idea that all “Good Christians” will be taken from the Earth shortly before or early during the reign of the “antichrist” is something that is not based upon what the Bible teaches.
However, I want you to do something very important right now. Please take the time right now to say a prayer with Our Father. He listens no matter where you are and at any time of the day. So turn down the noise and even close the door to get some privacy and talk to Him. He’ll listen, you can count on that. Pray for wisdom and understanding and let him lead you down the right path. For Jesus Christ himself said this to Peter, who would become the first member of the body of Christ as we know it:
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Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate source of understanding and it’s God’s special gift that only he can give. Flesh and blood, meaning ourselves cannot truly understand the Word on our own. I need his help. We need his help.
Brief History of The Rapture
The history of the doctrine of the rapture as we know it began with the teachings of a man in the late 19th century in America. This man was named John Darby. The term was popularized further by another man, William Eugene Blackstone, "Jesus is Coming" and a final inclusion in the Scofield Reference Bible. The word rapture itself(with today's definition) never appears, and as I will prove later, the concept of the Rapture certainly doesn’t either. However, it is important to note that the word "rapture" is taken from the Latin "raptus" when the origianl Greek was translated to Latin. It is quite clear that this word has been corrupted to mean what it does today. That somehow, somewhere, all Christians will magically fly away. There are certainly similar comments that were made before this time, but these comments were mostly obscure and questionable references and clearly not the opinion of the majority of learned scholars in the early church. However, these were just men as well. Trust in God above all things. This makes the Rapture doctrine a recent creation of man of which proponents can only cite Scripture cherry-picked to construct the necessary timeline.
What the Bible Says
Now we come to the important part.
The Bible abounds with references to what will happen at the second advent (the return of our Lord and savior). Rapture pundits love to use this verse:
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1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Step back and read the verse. “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t sound like a quiet event to me in the sense of some secret rapture?
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1 Thessalonians 4:17 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.
Clearly, the two verses illustrate a clear message. Those who died first (naturally) will be the first to reach heaven, then those of us which are alive and on Earth will be next meaning that there will be Christians alive when Christ returns. Is there a Rapture going on anywhere right here? I think not.
Now, let’s check out the second letter to Thessalonica and see what else Paul has to say about the second coming. Ironically, this epistle was written to correct errant doctrine and clarify what was meant in the first.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
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2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Let no man deceive you by any means; in other words, listen to Christ and Our Father’s Word. There will come a falling away first. One can make the argument here that the term “falling away” is very vague but, obviously, it will happen first. I believe, very strongly, that this falling away (Greek: apostasia) refers almost directly to this idea of a rapture. The Greek, found in Strongs #G0646, means defection from the truth as in a revolt or rebellion.
I hope you’re already starting to see that the rapture doctrine is a departure from the Word of God. There’s also been some confusion on the latter part of the verse. Who is the “man of sin” and “son of perdition” there? Perdition, Greek apoleia (Strong’s #G0684), ruin or loss. Quite clearly this son of ruin or loss is none other than Satan since he is the only one who is sealed for destruction throughout the Bible. The term revealed (Strong’s G#0601) means to take off the cover; disclose. In other words, Satan himself will be revealed to the world. This hasn’t happened yet. This finally will happen when Satan comes as the antichrist.
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2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
There will be a lot of people fooled by Satan and will believe a lie. Is the rapture theory one of these lies? The answer is yes. Christ himself talks about his return in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. I’ll hit the highpoints of all of these, but I encourage you to pray and study these verses because these are the words of Christ himself about his own return.
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Matthew 24:1- 51 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 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. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
One of the clear messages of this passage in Matthew is that there will be deceit all over the place and it, if possible, could even deceive those who are the elect of God! I’ve highlighted a lot of verses above. I’ll go over many, but others were highlighted because they show important signs to look out for. Regardless of what you believe, you should know these signs given by the Word of Our Father.
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Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
I think you’ll agree with me that there is no room for a rapture in Matthew 24:1-12 and yet here we have a verse talking about the “he that shall endure unto the end.” This verse is preparing God’s elect for the long haul. Those of us who are alive in these last days will have to endure until the end. There’s no room for a rapture here.
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Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
I won’t cover Daniel here, but you can find this specific reference in Daniel 12:11. You’ll notice that I highlighted 2 Thessalonians 2:4 previously in this study, but did not cover it. Now, I will do so because it makes more sense.
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2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This is that same “son of peridition,” or the devil if you prefer. Either way, he’s going to exalt himself as God in a very blasphemous and important way. The Greek word used here is naos (Strong’s #G3485). Naos is a very interesting word and can mean temple in a variety of ways:
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1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple [naos] of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Ephesians 2:20-21 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Clearly, temple doesn’t just mean a building, thought it can and is used in the Bible to do so. You have to be careful here. However, I think it’s evident from the surrounding verses that this is Satan who will set himself up in the hearts and minds of many (including even brick and mortar churches) as Christ. In other words, Satan will come as Christ!
This is the true danger of the rapture theory. This is why Christ says what he does in Matthew 24:26-27:
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Christ will come just like in verse 27. He’ll come from the east and go unto the west. Again, does this denote any sort of rapture? He comes one time, from the east unto the west as the Sun does. The word lightning should be rendered sun because the sun rises from the east and sets in the west. And here again, we have a very distinct order. The tribulation takes place and then Christ returns with no rapture taking place anytime before this. The elect are here on Earth awaiting the return of Jesus the Christ.
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Matthew 24:30-31And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The sound of the trumpet will herald the gathering of the Elect. Do you know who they are, beloved?
This is perhaps one of the most famous references that is used to support a rapture:
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Matthew24:39-46 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 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. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Let’s look at the context. What about this supports a rapture? The answer is simple. Nothing! Read Matthew 24:46 at the bottom there. It clearly says, “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” In other words, the Blessed one (those who will enter unto the Kingdom) are the ones still in the field working. The ones taken are not the blessed ones. Why? Because the ones who are taken are the ones who have fallen away! These are the ones fooled by the words of men and ultimately of the “antichrist” himself who will exalt himself as Christ returned. These ones who are taken are indeed probably a part of the rapture, but they’ll not get the rapture that they expected. They’ll fall to the deceit that Christ warns about over and over again.
Finally, we’ll go over another rapture theory favorite:
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1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Let us go to Revelation 8, Revelation 9, and Revelation 10 to find out what this trump is when the last trumpet shall sound and the dead raised and we’ll be changed.
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Revelation 8:1-13 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
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Revelation 9:1-3 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
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Revelation 9:14- Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
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Revelation 10:1-11And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
This describes the 7 trumpets which the 7 angels shall sound a trump with. We go back to 1 Corinthians 15:52 which confirms that this shall happen at the sounding of the last trumpet which we clearly see in Revelation is the return of God! In closing, I want to point out that I have not covered anywhere near the majority of the Biblical prophecy about the last days. There are many more passages falsely construed by men and used everyday to further lies about what will happen. If you have questions, I’ll be more than happy to do my best to address them. However, the best Q&A you’ll ever get is from God. Talk to him about it and I promise he will not lead you astray if you’ll listen to him. Pray for wisdom and understanding in this issue and it will come. Open your heart to him and take this up with him. I write these lessons because this is what my studies and God has led me to do, but I am a mere man myself. Remember who is in charge and you listen to Him only.
Even if you walk away from this lesson still believing in the rapture, please just do one thing for yourself. Know those signs that are given so that you’ll know them if they come to pass. Know the scriptures. They are God’s Word to you and nothing in the world can change nor replace that.
God Bless!
I chose the strong word in the title of this lesson for a very good reason. There’s a very dangerous doctrine circulating around in the Christian Church that will have dramatic effects on those who choose to walk down this false path. In this lesson, I want you to see that this idea that all “Good Christians” will be taken from the Earth shortly before or early during the reign of the “antichrist” is something that is not based upon what the Bible teaches.
However, I want you to do something very important right now. Please take the time right now to say a prayer with Our Father. He listens no matter where you are and at any time of the day. So turn down the noise and even close the door to get some privacy and talk to Him. He’ll listen, you can count on that. Pray for wisdom and understanding and let him lead you down the right path. For Jesus Christ himself said this to Peter, who would become the first member of the body of Christ as we know it:
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Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate source of understanding and it’s God’s special gift that only he can give. Flesh and blood, meaning ourselves cannot truly understand the Word on our own. I need his help. We need his help.
Brief History of The Rapture
The history of the doctrine of the rapture as we know it began with the teachings of a man in the late 19th century in America. This man was named John Darby. The term was popularized further by another man, William Eugene Blackstone, "Jesus is Coming" and a final inclusion in the Scofield Reference Bible. The word rapture itself(with today's definition) never appears, and as I will prove later, the concept of the Rapture certainly doesn’t either. However, it is important to note that the word "rapture" is taken from the Latin "raptus" when the origianl Greek was translated to Latin. It is quite clear that this word has been corrupted to mean what it does today. That somehow, somewhere, all Christians will magically fly away. There are certainly similar comments that were made before this time, but these comments were mostly obscure and questionable references and clearly not the opinion of the majority of learned scholars in the early church. However, these were just men as well. Trust in God above all things. This makes the Rapture doctrine a recent creation of man of which proponents can only cite Scripture cherry-picked to construct the necessary timeline.
What the Bible Says
Now we come to the important part.
The Bible abounds with references to what will happen at the second advent (the return of our Lord and savior). Rapture pundits love to use this verse:
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1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Step back and read the verse. “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t sound like a quiet event to me in the sense of some secret rapture?
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1 Thessalonians 4:17 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.
Clearly, the two verses illustrate a clear message. Those who died first (naturally) will be the first to reach heaven, then those of us which are alive and on Earth will be next meaning that there will be Christians alive when Christ returns. Is there a Rapture going on anywhere right here? I think not.
Now, let’s check out the second letter to Thessalonica and see what else Paul has to say about the second coming. Ironically, this epistle was written to correct errant doctrine and clarify what was meant in the first.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
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2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Let no man deceive you by any means; in other words, listen to Christ and Our Father’s Word. There will come a falling away first. One can make the argument here that the term “falling away” is very vague but, obviously, it will happen first. I believe, very strongly, that this falling away (Greek: apostasia) refers almost directly to this idea of a rapture. The Greek, found in Strongs #G0646, means defection from the truth as in a revolt or rebellion.
I hope you’re already starting to see that the rapture doctrine is a departure from the Word of God. There’s also been some confusion on the latter part of the verse. Who is the “man of sin” and “son of perdition” there? Perdition, Greek apoleia (Strong’s #G0684), ruin or loss. Quite clearly this son of ruin or loss is none other than Satan since he is the only one who is sealed for destruction throughout the Bible. The term revealed (Strong’s G#0601) means to take off the cover; disclose. In other words, Satan himself will be revealed to the world. This hasn’t happened yet. This finally will happen when Satan comes as the antichrist.
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2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
There will be a lot of people fooled by Satan and will believe a lie. Is the rapture theory one of these lies? The answer is yes. Christ himself talks about his return in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. I’ll hit the highpoints of all of these, but I encourage you to pray and study these verses because these are the words of Christ himself about his own return.
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Matthew 24:1- 51 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 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. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
One of the clear messages of this passage in Matthew is that there will be deceit all over the place and it, if possible, could even deceive those who are the elect of God! I’ve highlighted a lot of verses above. I’ll go over many, but others were highlighted because they show important signs to look out for. Regardless of what you believe, you should know these signs given by the Word of Our Father.
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Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
I think you’ll agree with me that there is no room for a rapture in Matthew 24:1-12 and yet here we have a verse talking about the “he that shall endure unto the end.” This verse is preparing God’s elect for the long haul. Those of us who are alive in these last days will have to endure until the end. There’s no room for a rapture here.
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Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
I won’t cover Daniel here, but you can find this specific reference in Daniel 12:11. You’ll notice that I highlighted 2 Thessalonians 2:4 previously in this study, but did not cover it. Now, I will do so because it makes more sense.
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2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This is that same “son of peridition,” or the devil if you prefer. Either way, he’s going to exalt himself as God in a very blasphemous and important way. The Greek word used here is naos (Strong’s #G3485). Naos is a very interesting word and can mean temple in a variety of ways:
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1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple [naos] of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Ephesians 2:20-21 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Clearly, temple doesn’t just mean a building, thought it can and is used in the Bible to do so. You have to be careful here. However, I think it’s evident from the surrounding verses that this is Satan who will set himself up in the hearts and minds of many (including even brick and mortar churches) as Christ. In other words, Satan will come as Christ!
This is the true danger of the rapture theory. This is why Christ says what he does in Matthew 24:26-27:
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Christ will come just like in verse 27. He’ll come from the east and go unto the west. Again, does this denote any sort of rapture? He comes one time, from the east unto the west as the Sun does. The word lightning should be rendered sun because the sun rises from the east and sets in the west. And here again, we have a very distinct order. The tribulation takes place and then Christ returns with no rapture taking place anytime before this. The elect are here on Earth awaiting the return of Jesus the Christ.
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Matthew 24:30-31And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The sound of the trumpet will herald the gathering of the Elect. Do you know who they are, beloved?
This is perhaps one of the most famous references that is used to support a rapture:
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Matthew24:39-46 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 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. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Let’s look at the context. What about this supports a rapture? The answer is simple. Nothing! Read Matthew 24:46 at the bottom there. It clearly says, “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” In other words, the Blessed one (those who will enter unto the Kingdom) are the ones still in the field working. The ones taken are not the blessed ones. Why? Because the ones who are taken are the ones who have fallen away! These are the ones fooled by the words of men and ultimately of the “antichrist” himself who will exalt himself as Christ returned. These ones who are taken are indeed probably a part of the rapture, but they’ll not get the rapture that they expected. They’ll fall to the deceit that Christ warns about over and over again.
Finally, we’ll go over another rapture theory favorite:
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1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Let us go to Revelation 8, Revelation 9, and Revelation 10 to find out what this trump is when the last trumpet shall sound and the dead raised and we’ll be changed.
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Revelation 8:1-13 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
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Revelation 9:1-3 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
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Revelation 9:14- Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
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Revelation 10:1-11And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
This describes the 7 trumpets which the 7 angels shall sound a trump with. We go back to 1 Corinthians 15:52 which confirms that this shall happen at the sounding of the last trumpet which we clearly see in Revelation is the return of God! In closing, I want to point out that I have not covered anywhere near the majority of the Biblical prophecy about the last days. There are many more passages falsely construed by men and used everyday to further lies about what will happen. If you have questions, I’ll be more than happy to do my best to address them. However, the best Q&A you’ll ever get is from God. Talk to him about it and I promise he will not lead you astray if you’ll listen to him. Pray for wisdom and understanding in this issue and it will come. Open your heart to him and take this up with him. I write these lessons because this is what my studies and God has led me to do, but I am a mere man myself. Remember who is in charge and you listen to Him only.
Even if you walk away from this lesson still believing in the rapture, please just do one thing for yourself. Know those signs that are given so that you’ll know them if they come to pass. Know the scriptures. They are God’s Word to you and nothing in the world can change nor replace that.
God Bless!
