Many denominational people are taught and believe that before their savior, Jesus Christ, returns (there was never on the earth a man with that name and title) that he will appear in the sky and "rapture" them away from this planet. I hate to disappoint them, but that is nowhere to be found in scripture. The passage that their preachers use to justify and "prove" this doctrine is 1 Thessalonike 4:15-17 (below).
1 Thessalonike 4:15-17 For this we say to you by the word of the Master, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Master will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Master Himself will descend from the sky with a shout, with the voice of a high messenger, and with the trumpet of Yahuwah, and the dead in the Anointed will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be carried away together with them in the clouds to meet the Master in the air. And thus we will always be with the Master.
Most people already know that the word "rapture" does not appear in scripture. That is quite understandable as the word is from the Middle French and takes a circuitous route through Latin and then into English just to make it into modern doctrines.
The word translated as the phrase "caught up" is Strong's G726, harpazo (har-pad'-zo), and it means to be "seized or carried off by force." Jerome of Latin Vulgate notoriety translated this word as the Latin word "rapiemur," which is from the Latin verb "rapio," meaning to "take away," which itself is derived from the Middle French word "rapture" via the Medieval Latin "raptura" (seizure, rape, kidnapping), which derives from the Latin "raptus" and has been further translated back into English as "rapture." To show you the import of the meaning of the Latin word "raptura," it is also the root word for the English word "rape " with all its evil connontations. There are other meanings assigned to this word, but as they do not have any association with this subject they will be ignored.
From this erroneous translation several doctrines of the endtimes events associated with being "raptured" have developed. One of those doctrines is that some people, the saints supposedly, will be taken up and some will be left behind (MattiythYahuw 24:37-42) at this "rapture" before the Savior returns to Yeruwshalom. This is often referred to as the "pre-tribulation rapture." It was circulated in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, and popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible that contained footnotes and references that supported the doctrine.
This doctrine was first proposed and popularized by John Nelson Darby in 1827. (Keep in mind that was the period of much satanic activity that produced many abominal doctrines and apostate faiths such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, the Seventh Day Adventists, and many others.) This doctrine was accepted among many Plymouth Brethren movements in England of which Darby was a member. The Brethren Movement had a strong influence on the doctrines of American "Christianity," and especially with the movements and teachings of the Christian eschatology and fundamentalism groups through books such as William Eugene Blackstone's book "Jesus is Coming" which was published in 1878 and the "Scofield Reference Bible" as mentioned above. The Bible Conference Movement that also espoused this view was started in 1878 with the Niagara Bible Conference and it had a strong influence on the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Congregational groups and the premillinial and pre-trib view became predominant among them.
The biggest problem with this false doctrine, regardless of how many people and denominations think it is correct, is that the first and last verses of the scriptural passage that they use to "prove" the doctrine (shown above) plainly show that this event of being "carried away" will occur AT the return of Yahushua, and not before. The "pre-trib rapture" doctrine requires that Yahushua must return TWICE instead of ONCE as stated in scrpiture. So there is no "pre-trib rapture" as so many evangelicals like to believe and teach. To believe and teach otherwise is say that scripture is not true and therefore Yahuwah is a liar.
Other denominations, such as Roman Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, and Orthodox think that this event is the end times resurrection of the dead mentioned so often in scripture. This too is wrong because Sha'uwl plainly says that the living will be "carried away" AFTER the resurrection of the dead.
As you can see from the scriptural passage above the actual event will be a one time event that occurs when Yahushua returns to the earth. At the time this occurs the dead will be raised and soon after, maybe immediately, the living saints will be "caught up" to Him in the air. Before that happens the sixth and seventh seals must be opened and then the seven trumpets sounded and the seven bowls poured out on the earth. That is what it says, and that is what we must believe. Also keep in mind that this "carrying away" occurrence is NOT just before the "final judgment," but is at the time of the battle at Yeruwshalom (erroneously called the Battle of Armageddon) as immediately after this "carrying away" satan will be put into the abyss and Yahushua will reign WITH those saints on this planet for one thosuand years. Then comes the judgment and the lake of fire for the disbelieving and disobedient and paradise for the faithful (Revelation chapters 19, 20, and 22).
The best way to know what is going to happen and when it is going to happen is to read and study scripture for yourself with an open mind and a love for the truth in your heart and let scripture develop your doctrines instead of listening to a man tell you what scripture says. This is what Yahuwah says you must do and you should already know that obedience to Him is our first and foremost duty. Until you do that, you are not going to find the truth and will always be on the outside looking in and wondering what it is all about.
Buck Castleberry
buck@considerthis.net
www.considerthis.net