Mocking the Rapture

There is a lot of discussion going around about how very late the ‘doctrine of the rapture’ is supposed to be. It has been attributed, to “Darby”, the “Jesuits”, and the Scofield Bible, and many others.

There are people today who say, “the rapture isn’t in the Bible.”

They do not know scripture!

The word ‘rapture’ means ‘to be caught up’. The Latin is ‘raptus’.

In the Bible, this word is seen in the greek as “harpazō”, and in the Latin as ‘rapiemur’, and in the English in most translations as ‘caught up’. In the Hebrew and Aramaic the word is ‘natzal’ and ‘nekhatef’.

So, the very FIRST PERSON EVER to write about RAPTURE is Paul!

He does so in 1st Thessalonians 4:17:

¹⁶For Our Master [Adoneinu] Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the Chief Messenger [Malakh/Angel] and with the Shofar of God; and those who died in Messiah will rise first.  ¹⁷Then we who remain, which are alive, shall be caught up [rapiemur, natzal, nekhatef, harpazo] together with them in the clouds to meet Adoneinu in the air.

So, the notion that ‘the rapture is not in the Bible’ should immediately be dispelled. Further, the writing of Paul here is not that complicated, and clearly shows that it is LIVING PEOPLE who are “snatched into the sky” to be with Yeshua IN THE AIR.

THERE. IS. A. RAPTURE.

The purpose of it and the timing of it may be in question. But, the ANTIQUITY of it should not be. It cannot possibly be attributed to John Darby or the Scofield Bible, as they did not pen these words. Paul did!

Paul taught on this subject often, both in person, and in his writings. Let’s establish those two facts:

In his second letter to the same congregation, Paul touches the subject again, saying,

2 Thess 2:

³Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come unless it is preceded by a departure. [we contend this departure is the natzal/rapture, and not ‘apostasy’, since the Hebrew/Aramaic says ‘exit’, and apostasy meant ‘exit’ in the 1st century and did not mean ‘doctrinal error’ until centuries later].  And then the man of sin will be revealed as Ben Ha’Abadon [Son of Destruction], ⁴who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called “god,” or that is worshiped; so that even in the Temple of God [Heikhal of Elohim], he sits as God, and shows himself as though he were God.  ⁵Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you these things?  ⁶And now you know what has prevented him from being revealed in his time.  ⁷For the mystery of iniquity is already at work, until that which now hinders [him] is taken out of the midst of them.  ⁸Then shall the Wicked One be revealed, that one whom Adoneinu Yeshua shall consume with the breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the revelation of His coming, ⁹even he whose coming is due to the working of HaSatan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰and with all deceitfulness of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they received not the love of HaEmet, that they might be saved thereby.

This passage shows many things, but for our purpose today it is important to see that Paul often taught on the subject. We know he already taught this congregation from our first passage cited above, and now, in writing to the same congregation about the same subject, he says he spoke it to them when he was with them, teaching them about it.

He also spoke on the subject to Corinth [1st Cor 15].

⁵¹Behold, I tell you a Sod [a biblical mystery]: we shall not all die, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the Last Shofar; for the shofar shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  ⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, “Mavet is swallowed up in victory.   ⁵⁵O Mavet, where is your sting?  O She’ol, where is your victory?”

Since Paul taught in Corinth as he did in Thessaloniki, we can see here that he is writing about the very same subject in his letters to both congregations, the resurrection and the natzal/rapture. The same Shofar is mentioned [a ram’s horn trumpet], and the same people are mentioned. Those who are ‘changed’ are ‘raptured.’

So, the fact that 2,000 years later there is argument over the origin of the idea is moot to this reader.

Yeshua Himself also talked about it! Though He did not use the ‘word’ rapture/natzal [in this context], He spoke of the imagery of it in several places:

³⁶“But concerning that day and that hour, no man knows, not even the Messengers [Malakhim] of heaven, but The Father alone.  ³⁷Just as in the days of No’akh, so will be the coming of Ben HaAdam.  ³⁸For as the people before the flood were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day No’akh entered into the ark,  ³⁹and they knew nothing until the flood came and carried them all away, such will be the coming of Ben HaAdam.  ⁴⁰Then, two men will be in the field, one will be taken away and the other forsaken.  ⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the handmill, one will be taken and the other forsaken.

And then in the next chapter, He gives us a cultural analogy using the Galilean wedding for imagery, showing that His Bride will be ‘caught away’ at the ‘Teruah’:

¹“Then, the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out for the meeting of the bridegroom and the bride.  ²Five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  ³And the foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them.  ⁴But the wise ones took oil in the vessels with their lamps.  ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  ⁶And at midnight there was a cry, [קוֹל תְּרוּעָה, the voice of the Teru’ah/Shout ] ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to greet him!’  ⁷Then all the virgins got up and fixed their lamps.  ⁸And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  ⁹Then the wise ones answered and said, ‘Why, there would not be enough for us and for you; go to those who sell and buy for yourselves.’  ¹⁰And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready entered with him into the wedding house, and the door was locked.  ¹¹Afterward the other virgins also came and said, ‘Adoneinu, Adoneinu, open to us!’  ¹²But he answered and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’  ¹³Be alert, therefore, for you do not know that day nor that hour.”

Again, there is much to be learned from this passage, but for our purpose let’s see that the Teru’ah is a ‘SHOUT’. What many do not know is there is ONE DAY on the Biblical Calendar of God that is called “Teru’ah”, and it is also known as “The Day that No Man Knows”. It is “The Last Shofar” that Paul mentioned. Yeshua is unquestionably the ‘bridegroom’, and those obedient to the bridal contract are the virgins who are prepared for the shout!

So, the concept of a RAPTURE is MOST BIBLICAL.

And this is also supported by people who many LOVE to cite to affirm other doctrine, but refuse to cite over this one. Namely, a ‘church father’ named “Irenaeus”.

Irenaeus was a very ‘early’ believer, living in the second century. He was a student and fellow of Polycarp, who was a student of Yokhanan, John, who wrote the book of Revelation, which has the rapture in it three times!

Irenaeus wrote “Adversus Haereses”, “Against Heresies” [see, they didn’t use apostasy yet], and in that work he teaches about a pre-tribulation catching away:

“And therefore, in the end when the Congregation is suddenly caught up from this, it is said, ‘There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.’ For this is the last contest [tribulation] of the righteous, in which, when they overcome, they are crowned with incorruption.” Against Heresies 5.29.1

Someone who knows the scriptures can see that he is citing Yeshua’s teaching on the matter from Matthew 24, and John’s from Revelation 2 and 3, 14, and other places [overcomers].

Irenaeus also writes about the ‘catching away’ in a less obvious fashion in another place. He mentions Paul’s ‘soul’ being caught up, which Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians 12 he experienced, along with teaching in the same fashion as Paul about these events:

“For Enoch, when he pleased God, was translated in the same body in which he did please Him, thus pointing out by anticipation the translation of the just. … Wherefore also the elders who were disciples of the apostles [Polycarp] tell us that those who are translated are translated to that place (for paradise has been prepared for righteous men, such as have the Spirit; in which place also Paul the apostle, when he was caught up, heard words which are unspeakable … ), and that those who have been translated shall remain there [heaven] until the consummation [the end], as a prelude to incorruptability.” Against Heresies 5.5.1

This is a pre-tribulation rapture, where Enoch prefigures that, and those who are translated are in heaven until those tried in the tribulation by becoming and remaining righteous are finally themselves justified as well, when Messiah returns, with those previously translated!

Here, he is citing Genesis 5 concerning ‘translation’ and ‘natzal’, our being ‘caught up’, as Enoch was, and equating it to 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul reveals THAT mystery! It was ‘concealed’ in Genesis, and ‘revealed’ in 1st Corinthians.

It was taught clearly by Yeshua, and plainly by Paul. John wrote of it in the first verses of Revelation 4.

There IS a rapture, and according to Yeshua, it is something you BETTER be prepared for, if you want actually to be His Bride.

See more on this subject here, and on our webpage http://www.mpfellowship.com/beliefs/