“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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:
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.” I Thessalonians 4:15-17
The Rapture as a discrete event and important concept in modern and evangelical thinking, morphed into its current understanding over the past two centuries. I was taught it was to occur pretty much as I suppose the “Left Behind” movies portray it. If you take these three verses and add what the Lord says in Matthew 24:37ff, you might agree that what John Darby and other dispensationalists (including contemporary Christian authors) conclude is the “correct” interpretation. There are very detailed charts you can find that walk you through what is known as the “seventieth week of Daniel.”
The big question in evangelical Christianity is when the Rapture will occur in the context of the Great Tribulation and the millennium. Will it precede the tribulation, occur at some point during those seven years, or will it occur at the end?
When I surveyed the literature, I was frankly surprised to see (1) how fiercely some authors criticize opposing interpretations. I also noted (2) how some researchers would reach completely different conclusions reading the same few sentences in one or the other of the early church father’s writings. And, I saw examples of poor scholarship (begging the question or not discussing contending points of view in detail.)
The Greek word for “caught up” in verse seventeen is ἁρπαγησόμεθα. The diacritical over the first letter “a” at the beginning of the word gives the letter an “h” sound. The first few letters of the word ἁρπαγησόμεθα produces the word “harpa,” a reference to mythological flying creatures called harpies who were half-human, half-bird. Harpies had long talons that would snatch or pluck food out of the hands of unsuspecting mortals while hovering over them, thus tormenting them in the process. Or, perhaps, they might carry one away much as a falcon or eagle snatches an unsuspecting rabbit from its hutch. It is the Latin translation of the term “caught up” (raptura) from which we get the term “rapture.”
There are other variations of ἁρπαγησόμεθα in the New Testament that carry the same sense of the word, which throughout indicates a forceful removal, For example, in Jude 22, 23 where he writes: “Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching (ἁrpazontes) them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Here, one can imagine how he might pluck coals or steaming potatoes from the flames of a campfire with his bare hands, acting quickly and forcibly to avoid being burned.
In 2 Corinthians 12:2, Paul writes: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.” Paul had been raptured (ἁrpagenta) himself into the third heaven where he undoubtedly glimpsed scenes of what all Christians will eventually see in their own in due time.
One final example of the term, this time from John 6:15:“Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize (harpazein) him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.” Again, there is the notion of strength, almost violence behind the term, whether it applies to men or beasts.
As understood today in the evangelical churches, the Rapture will be the occasion when God comes for His Church. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 24:40,41: “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.” Those who are taken are believed to be those who have been redeemed by God’s son, while those who remain are thought to be unbelievers.
The Rapture is generally associated with another eschatological event known as the Great Tribulation, a seven-year event. Differences of opinion exist concerning whether the Rapture will occur immediately before the tribulation, in the middle of the tribulation, or at the end of the tribulation.
We know from Scripture (Matthew 24:44) that no one will know when the Rapture will take place. Here, the Bible says “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Yet, in spite of God’s Word, people throughout history and particularly over the past two decades have claimed to have discovered secret codes in the Bible that allowed them to predict the day of the Rapture or have proclaimed that they have received by special revelation that knowledge which Jesus says cannot be known (nor did He know it Himself.) We are admonished to pay no attention to them.
Personally, while I would prefer to be raptured before the tribulation, I would not be surprised if it occurred as part of the Second Coming at the close of the tribulation. I say this because Paul uses the term παρουσίαν (parousia) in verse fifteen. This is a term that (as used here) means literally the “return of the king.”
During the Middle Ages, the arrival of the king was always a cause of celebration. Even the king’s passage through the village was a memorable event (like the arrival of a comet) and it was not unusual for fathers to burn the hand or arm of their children so the child would have a remembrance of the historical event (even if an unhappy remembrance) when grown.
When the word was used in history to refer to the arrival of a sovereign, it also suggested that certain preparations would have to be made. William Barclay notes in his book New Testament Words that often taxes would be imposed in advance so that the king might be presented with a golden crown upon his arrival. The arrival of a king usually meant that a new era had arrived, and the king’s arrival would be commemorated with the issuance of new coins. The arrival of the king was also a time when wrongs would be righted because the king was the last resort for appeals and had the authority to overturn judgments against individuals.
There are two other uses in history for the word parousia according to Barclay, and both are appropriate to describe the Second Coming of Christ. The word has been used in ancient history to describe an invasion, and the word was also used by people who believed they had been visited by a god, because of dreams they had or healings that occurred when they slept in certain temples, like that of Apollo’s or the one belonging to the Greek god of healing (Asclepius.)
Throughout the ages the Church taught that Jesus would return, but little effort was put into defining just how (and when) this might happen. I’m not sure what we gain when we argue that the Rapture will occur “here” (or “here.”). As Luther points out, we must constantly live as if this were our last day, because if you were to die today, then in effect, Jesus has come for you.
If you are looking for a timetable, a clear sequence of events in the Bible (e.g., first the Rapture, then the Tribulation, then the Millennium, etc.) you will not find it. You’ll have to weave different verses from different books of the Bible together and the conclusion may not be as obvious to others as it is to you.
Feature photo credit: Chris Hill (Shutterstock)