Reasons Why Some Christians Do Not Believe in the Rapture

The vast majority of Christians believe in the rapture, but not all, so why don’t some believe in the rapture of the church?

A New Teaching

Jonathan Edwards

Did you know that the teaching of the rapture is relatively new and was never taught by the 1st Century church or the Apostles. Even so, the vast majority of Christians believe in the rapture, but we might notice that in the Bible, the majority is almost always wrong! The rapture was not taught or even believed or written about by anyone in the church or in church history until the 1800’s, and one thing I’ve learned…if it’s new, it’s not of God but if it’s of God, it’s not new! RC Sproul, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, etc. never once taught of the rapture. Why? Some believe it’s because it’s not taught in the Bible but based upon an incorrect assumption about 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 where Paul’s teaching about what is popularly called the rapture.

No Place Found

John Singleton Copley in Ascension (1775)

One man told me that there is not one place in the entire Bible that ever teaches about the rapture (O.T. or N. T). We’d expect something like that in the Book of Revelation, but he’s right, it’s not there! The rapture is thought to be the miraculous transportation of all living Christians to heaven at the return of Jesus and coming before the Tribulation. There is a lot of misinformation about this event, but this passage gives us some definite truths about it. Paul made it clear that Jesus’ return will not be secret but will be visible; it will be a bodily return; and it will be a triumphant return, for He will not come in lowliness and meekness as He did at His first advent, but in power and glory. The angels told the disciples, “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Just as He left visibly on the Shekinah (glory) cloud, so He will come again visibly on this cloud of glory. Some argue that the rapture would have Jesus coming again…and then, again, even though Jesus said He will come again (singular). In Revelation 1:7 it says (and in other places about Jesus’ return) that every eye shall see Him (in His return). That doesn’t sound like a secret to me.

Widely Held Belief

There is a view, one that is very widespread in the church today, that holds that Jesus will come back to rapture the church out of the world and only then, the great tribulation will occur, after which Jesus will return a second time (not found in Scripture). I think this view is a result of a serious misunderstanding of what the Apostle described here in 1 Thessalonians.

Pretribulation Rapture?

One man who teaches the “pretribulation” rapture was asked or told, “I do not know a single verse anywhere in the Bible that teaches a pretribulation rapture. Can you tell me where to find that?” I‘ll never forget what he said: “No, I can‘t. But that‘s what I was taught from the time I was a little child.” The man rightly responded, “Let‘s get our theology from the Bible rather than from Sunday school lessons we heard years and years ago. We need chapter and verse to prove what we believe.”

Being Caught Up

Let us look at the events the Apostle Paul described in 1 Thessalonians 4 from which comes the belief in the rapture. Paul writes that “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven. . . And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16–17). Here we see that the purpose of the dead rising and our being caught up into the sky is not to go away but to meet Jesus as He is returning. He will not be taking us out of the world to stay. He will be lifting us up to participate with Him in His triumphal return as heaven comes down (Rev 21:1-4). Point blank; the “rapturists” can only use one portion of Scripture (1 Thess. 4:16–17), so only 2 verses in the entire Bible are used to base their entire belief on, but isn’t there more in the rest of the Bible about the rapture? If so, where are they? Jesus’ coming again is called the Second Advent, so is there a third advent?

Second Coming

… for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

What Paul was writing about was that when Jesus comes back in conquering power, believers, both dead and alive, will be caught up in the air to meet Him, not to stay up there, but to join His return in triumph, to participate in His exaltation. Aren’t the dead raised after Jesus returns and established His kingdom (Dan 12:1-3; Rev 20:12-15)? It seems that Paul’s goal here was to comfort the Thessalonians who were heartbroken that their dead loved ones were apparently going to miss the triumphal return of Christ. Paul assured them that the dead in Christ will not miss His return at all. In fact, they will be there first, but just barely. The dead will rise first, and then those who are still alive and are Christ’s will be caught up together with this whole assembly to come to the earth again in triumph, so really, it’s about the future ascension of the saints into heaven Paul writes about in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

A New Belief

The Rapture doctrine was invented by John Nelson Darby in 1830 so the teaching about the rapture is less than 200 years old. To understand it, we have to look at four ways of understanding New Testament prophecy. The first way is called preterism which says that most of the predictions in the New Testament found their explicit fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The preterist says that the principles still apply, but the events are past. Preterism was common among Reformed theologians a century ago and is experiencing a revival today. Historicism, once the most common view, says that New Testament prophecy predicts all the major events of the gospel age. Historicists see the fall of Rome, the tyranny of the popes, the advance of Islam, and the rise of the Enlightenment all predicted in the book of Revelation. Now that Christianity has spread well beyond Europe, this Europe-centered approach has largely been abandoned.

Futurism

Destruction of Jerusalem by Ercole de’ Roberti (1850).

Futurism, which is currently in favor in most churches, says that most New Testament prophecy concerns events immediately prior to the final return of Jesus Christ to the earth. For most futurists, the Great Tribulation spoken of in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation does not refer to the fall of Jerusalem or to the continuing problems of the church in all ages, but is a period just prior to Christ’s return, usually of seven years in duration. The Rapture doctrine says that Christ will “rapture” His saints from the earth before the outbreak of this seven-year tribulation, or at least before the last three-and-a-half years of it. Christ will not let His people go through these events. The problem with this popular opinion is not only that 1 Thessalonians 4 says nothing about such a tribulation as the context for the ascension of the saints, but also the fact that many Christians have suffered horribly in the past without being “raptured.”

Conclusion

The Bible doesn’t teach there is a 2nd and then a 3rd coming again of Jesus. In the entire Bible, there is not one single verse that says Jesus will come again for His church and then once again. That would be his 3rd coming, counting His virgin birth, then the supposed rapture and then a final time (3rd time). Rapture or not, I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ because He could come at any moment. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: Where Does the Bible Mention the Rapture?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: End Times, Jesus Second Coming, last days, Rapture