Revelations 4 - The Rapture Part 1 - Is the Rapture a biblical doctrine?

1Thess. 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord.

Caught up; the different translations

Greek; harpazō; to seize (in various applications): - catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).

Latin; rapimuir, from the verb rapio meaning "to catch up" or "take away".

English; Rapture is derived from Middle French rapture, via theMedieval Latin raptura ("seizure, rape, kidnapping"), which derives from the Latin raptus ("a carrying off").

Afrikaans; Weggevoer; is derived from the English Rapture, from which the Afrikaans Wegraping is derived.

Caught up is also translated similarly as:

Joh. 10:12 catcheth
Matt. 13:19 catcheth away
2Co. 12:2 caught up
2Co. 12:4 caught up
Act. 8:39 caught away
Matt. 11:12 take it by force
Joh. 6:15 take him by force

Was the Rapture a mystery?

For something to be a mystery, it must be revealed in the New Testament and never be referred to in the Old Testament.

1Co. 15:51-53 Behold, I speak a mystery to you; we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed; (52) in a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

The mystery of the Church was only revealed by Paul (Eph. 3:1-12)

Our heavenly Bridegroom will come unexpectedly (1 Th. 4: 16), as a thief in the night (1Th. 5:2), fetch his Church (Christ's coming FOR his bride i.e. parousia / physical presence). He meets his Church in the air (1 Th. 4: 17)and takes her quickly (1 Th. 4: 17) i.e. caught up) to heaven to be with Him forever (Joh. 14:3).

The content of the mystery of the Rapture indicate that there will be a whole generation of believers who will enter eternity without even ever going through the portals of death. They will never die, but they will be changed. This was NOT revealed in the Old Testament.

Will the Church pass through the Great Tribulation?

The Mystery revealed by Paul included NO mention and/or guidance from Paul to the Church as how to pass through the Great Tribulation. Paul in fact mentions that the Church will be delivered from the wrath by Jesus.

1Thess. 1:10 and to wait for His Son from Heaven (whom He raised from the dead), Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.

1Thess. 5:9 For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The wrath is none other that the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24, 25, Luk. 21, Rev. 6).

If the Church, the body of Christ, the individual believers from the ranks of all nations , are promised to be delivered from this wrath , then it is obvious that the Church will not pass through the Great Tribulation.

Reference to the Curch in the book Revelations

Reference to the Church only appears in Chapter 2 & 3 ( one further reference in Chapter 22:16)

There is no references to the Church in Chapters 6:1 - 18:24 i.e. the 7-year period of Great Tribulation. Instead the focus changes to Israel.

There is thus in the book Revelations a distinct separation in periods and dealings of the Church and Israel.

1) The Church (Rev. 2-3)
2) Israel (Rev. 6:1 - 18:24)

Rights (C) 2011 Raymond D Lombard