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The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line is a commentary on various subjects pertaining to biblical subjects as the owner, editor, and publisher of this website sees them. You may not always agree with it but I invite your comments and discussion on my Forum .
The "Rapture" Scriptural or Not
Most Christians are interested in Bible Prophecy usually for curiosities sake of knowing the future especially when it concerns us as Christians. We live in a world that gives little to no hope for most and it becomes a fearful environment. It is easy to look to prophetic writings in order to gain some sort of hope or peace about ourselves. Often, many will twist biblical prophecy to fit their own desires and wants. In today’s world of wars and political unrest, people look to biblical prophecy for hope to ease the fears of the ever growing unrest and instability throughout the world. Cults, religions, doctrines, and many organized groups have formed throughout the years; born of, fear of the unknown! One such doctrine, I believe, is the “Rapture Theory”!
As a young Christian over 20 years ago, I was taught and indoctrinated into this doctrine of the, “Rapture” and as a young Christian, believed the doctrine for lack of knowledge of it. However, I was never able to find any peace or rest in the doctrine or belief. I was never able to connect the teaching of Christians being “raptured” from the world before the Second Coming of our Lord. I began a lifelong study of the scriptures in order to find the truth of the matter and these are just a few of my findings.
The Rapture
There is no single word found throughout the Bible used by biblical authors that describes the events that the doctrine hinges upon. The word “rapture” can not be found within the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Biblical passages concerning the Second Coming of our Lord have been twisted and blended together to formulate the teaching of “The Rapture”. Those that hold fast to this doctrine believe that they will be “raptured” out of this world before the prophetic teachings of the tribulation that will soon befall the world. They believe that Christ’s return will be a two stage event. One called the “Rapture” and the other the Second Coming. However there is no biblical basis for “Rapture” found within the pages of Holy Scriptures. The Second Coming, yes! The Rapture, no!
Those that hold fast to the doctrine maintain that Christ will return secretly, invisibly, to remove the church from this earth prior to the rise of the end of the age. They believe that they will be removed for their protection from the end-time system that shall arise. Then at a later date, Christ will return visibly to pour out His wrath upon the world. This is known as the Second Coming of Christ. This is the general belief of those that follow the “Rapture Theory” doctrine.
There are a few hotly debated arguments as to the timing or chronological events associated with the “Rapture” even within those that hold to the belief. Some believe that the time lapse between the two events will be 3 ½ years, while others believe it to be 7 years. Some hold to the 7 years as being the tribulation period spoken about within scriptures as being the “Great Tribulation”. Although scriptures point to this 7 year period being divided in two parts. A covenant will be made with Israel for the period of 7 years. This is clear in the book of Daniel, the 9th chapter. This covenant will be based upon peace and prosperity for the nation of Israel. Clearly, peace and prosperity would indicate that there is no tribulation involved. Although, as scripture points out, half way through this 7 year period, the anti-Christ will stand in the rebuilt temple and declare himself to be God. At this point all those that will not bow down and worship him as God, will be put to death in great tribulation. This will not only involve the nation of Israel but the entire world. This as scripture state will last for the period of 3 ½ years and at the end of this period of time Christ will return and put an end to the False Prophet and the anti-Christ. Some hold to the view of the “Rapture” will take place in the mid-way point around or about the same time that the anti-Christ stands in the temple, spoken of by Daniel. Although there are several debates with the “Rapture” community, the central point that most all agree with is that Christ will return in a two phase event.
The Conception
It may come as a surprise to many Christians, but there has never been found any Christian writings that mention the rapture doctrine before the year 1830 A.D. No Greek, Coptic, Syrian, English, German, orthodox, Jewish, heretical, or any other religion has uttered one word about the “rapture”. Some that say the teaching is biblical states that the doctrine was silenced for an unknown reason at the close of the apostolic age and then reappeared in 1830. A.D. I believe that if the doctrine was so clearly taught within the scriptures, that it would be vastly overwhelming that no-one spoke or wrote about it until the 19th century. This fact of no mention of the doctrine for 17 centuries would indicate that countless scholars and Christian authors including “the Christian Fathers” of both the Reformation and post-Reformation period’s, were either ignorant or completely void of basic prophetical understanding of such a basic fundamental teaching. This historical fact in itself would shed serious doubts to the validity of doctrine to those that seek the truth about it.
The Gestation
In the mid 1820’s a religious environment began to incubate the doctrine with a few Christians within London, England. This environment became the catalyst that the doctrine emerged from. Although this was not a new teaching, it was being said that Christ was soon to return. A Presbyterian minister named Edward Irving began an unusual teaching using 1 Corinthians 12-14. He began teaching that the spiritual gifts mentioned therein had to be restored to the church just before Christ’s return. In Irving’s mind the time had come for these gifts to be renewed. These gifts included speaking in tongues and prophesying while lead by the spirit. Irving began to speak his beliefs within the local congregation as being prophetic. His enthusiasm and ability to speak caused his congregation in London to grow. As the number began to grow within the congregation so did the number of people that began to experience the “gifts”. At this point, stiff opposition from the organized churches began. Eventually Irving was dismissed from the Presbyterian Church in 1832. He and his followers then established themselves as the Catholic Apostolic Church. This is what some call the beginnings of what is today called Pentecostalism. Some church historians have been known to refer to Irving as “the father of modern Pentecostalism”.
You may be wondering at this point what all this has to do with the “Rapture Doctrine”. Well let us look at what happened in the year 1830, two years before Irving’s dismissal from the Presbyterian Church. A revival began in that year of the “gifts” within a small group of people in the lowlands of Scotland. They were experiencing what they called, “the outpouring of the Spirit”. Irving had been preaching that these things must take place and now speaking in “tongues” and other charismatic gifts were now taking place.
The Evening of the Birth
One evening, supposedly the power of the Holy Spirit was said to have come upon a woman by the name of Margaret MacDonald. The woman was supposedly ill to the point of death or so she thought. For several hours while the woman was supposedly under the “power” of the spirit, she experienced prophesy and visions combined together. The message she supposedly received was that Christ would return in two stage event and not one. Common sense would dictate that what was taught thus far was a single event called the Second Coming of Christ for her to receive the message of a two stage event instead of a single event. Her vision revealed that Christ would return first in glory to them that look for Him and then in the final stage in which all eye’s would see Him. This supposed vision of Margaret MacDonald is the originating historical source of the entire doctrine. Thus, the “Rapture Doctrine” is born!
The Bottom Line
