This is perhaps one of the most widely debated doctrines in existence today.
Most believe the pre-tribulation rapture theory to have begun in 1830, from the utterances of a so called visionary, a Scottish woman named Margaret MacDonald. Others say John Nelson Darby wrote about it 3 years earlier in 1827. The famed book entitled The Incredible Cover Up by Dave MacPherson claims Darby got the theory from MacDonald when he heard of her utterences. The book claims the source to be demonic in origin and NOT of God.
In any case, the word “rapture” does NOT appear anywhere in the bible; and we should only believe the Word of God, NOT the word of man.
Let’s begin this study of the rapture idea with Paul, 1 Cor 15:40-55. Here Paul explains that we have two different bodies. One body is celestial, or heavenly; another body is terrestrial, or earthly. Another way to think of this is, you have a flesh body and a spiritual body. The flesh body is perishable, the spiritual body is eternal(unless God destroys it,) according to Paul. When the flesh body dies, you continue with your spiritual body. The soul is different from the body, it also has two states; mortal and immortal.
All are changed to the spiritual body in the blink of an eye when Christ returns. So long as we are still in the flesh body, Jesus has not returned.
One of the passages that is used to proclaim the rapture as biblical is 1 Thes. 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 with the Lord.”
The word air is “aer” #109 in the Greek dictionary of the Strong’s Concordance. It means to breathe unconsciously, to respire, to blow. This is a reference to the spiritual body, and has nothing to do with the sky or atmosphere.
The word cloud refers to a large amount of people, like a cloud of locusts. This was a colloquial (i.e. not formal) term in the Greek.
Compare cloud to Hebrews Chapter 12:1,
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience, the race that is set before us,”.
Here Paul uses the same word, cloud, to describe a large amount of witnesses, not a cloud in the sky.
Paul realized the writing of 1 Thes. 4:17 was confusing, and tried to clarify the statement in 2 Thes. chapter 2:1.
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2:2 that ye soon not be shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us(i.e. the first letter to the Thessalonians), as that the day of Christ is at hand.
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:
Perdition is “apoleia” #684 in the Greek dictionary of the Strong’s Concordance. From #623, It means ruin or loss, destruction, die, or perish.
Satan is the son of perdition, already judged to die, whose name is Apollyon in the greek, #624 in the Strong’s.
Continuing with 2 Thes. 2:4,
“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped: so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
Paul makes it clear that Satan must come first before we gather back to God. A rapture will not happen until after Satan comes, claiming to be God. He warns us; do not be deceived.
The Gospels also offer a chronological sequence to the end of the world in Mathew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. The disciples ask Jesus directly in Mathew 24:3; when will be the end of the world? Christ begins to answer this question in Mark 13:5:
And Jesus answering them began to say, “Take heed lest any man deceive you: …”
Jesus is warning here not to believe any man. He also warns many will come in His name and even pretend to be Him. But it is not until the abomination of desolation(the antichrist) stand where he ought not that the end is near. In Mark 13:20 Jesus says the day of the antichrists tribulation will be shortened for the elects sake. Clearly, this is stating that antichrist will come first, pretending to be Jesus; and do not be deceived into believing he is Christ coming to rapture you away.
In Ezekiel 13, God speaks against those who lie and teach His people to fly.
In 2 Cor 11:13 Paul writes:
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
11:14- And no marvel; Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light
The word transformed is “metaschematizo” #3345 in the Greek dictionary of the Strong’s Concordance. It’s from two words and means transfigured or disguised. So Satan is disguised as an angel of light, pretending to be Christ. Paul is warning us again to not be fooled by the antichrist pretending to be Jesus.
Paul also tells us that we are to put on the gospel armor written of in Ephesians chapter 6, to stand against wickedness and to quench the fiery darts. Eph 6:14. The armor is to stand against Satan when he appears. not to be raptured away.
In Revelation chapter 2:10, God tells the church of Smyrna that they will be rewarded with the crown of life for standing against Satan and bearing the tribulation for 10 days. It is clear that God’s elect have work to do during that time.
Lastly, let us look to the book of Revelations for more clarity. Revelations is apocalypse in Greek and it means to unveil, uncover or to reveal.
The seals of Chapter 6 in Revelations are listed in order of priority or importance, not chronological order. The first seal is to make you aware that the antichrist comes first, pretending to be Jesus. (See Bullinger’s side notes in the Companion Bible for clarification and the meaning for each of the 7 seals.)
Perhaps the easiest place to look for the order of events are the trumps of Revelations, which are in chronological order. Chapter 9 covers the fifth and the sixth trump. This is when Satan comes with his army to the earth for five months. Satan is named here as Abaddon in the Hebrew and Apollyon in the Greek.
The seventh trump marks the time that Jesus returns and begins in chapter 11. It sounds three and a half days after the two witnesses are killed in the streets. Revelations makes it obvious Satan comes first, pretends to be Jesus; even performing miracles to fool the whole world into worshipping him. God has foretold us of all things.
DO NOT BE DECEIVED!