The "secret" Rapture theory

[Red Baker]

The "secret" rapture theory

The teaching of the secret rapture, or private coming of Jesus Christ for his church apart from being revealed to the rest of the world, is a teaching that was invented somewhere back in and around 1830 give or take a few short years, which doctrine was never taught to the churches until around that time.

What I will say in this thread. I first taught this in a tract form back around forty five years ago, or so. Seems so long ago, yet time has gone by so fast!

I have nine points that I will present to prove that the secret rapture theory is just that...a false theory with no biblical support whatsoever. I have never preach this, I only did this in a tract form back as a young Christian. Please consider the following none points.

1) There is not one scripture that teaches this doctrine in God's word, "not one".

Does this surprise you? It should ~ one would think that a doctrine so popular would have many scriptures to support this position, but not so with this teaching. I hear many ask: what are you going to do with 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18? Many teach that "the dead in Christ shall rise first" ~meaning the dead in Christ shall rise first, and those outside of Christ shall rise later.

But a closer examination of the verse will prove that the distinction is between those who died in Christ and those that are in Christ and alive when he comes. Paul is saying that the resurrection of the former shall occur before the change of the later~this is the meaning of the text and nothing more.

Considering the passage carefully it certainly is saying that there shall nothing private or secret about this coming. Consider: (a) there will be a shout; (b) voice of the archangel; (c) and the trump of God.

With the trump of God, consider my next point on why we must reject a secret coming of Jesus Christ for his church, apart from being revealed to teh rest of the world.

2) Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:52 makes it very plain to us that the resurrection shall take place at the last trump, which in the scriptures is the seventh and final trump in Revelation.

1st Corinthians 15:52​

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Can there be anymore after the last one? No, last means last, The resurrection of the saints takes place at the LAST TRUMP per Paul, premillennialism camp said that Paul is wrong. The trump here is the same trumpet as in this verse:

Matthew 24:31​

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

His elect are the church from the four winds under heaven! Both places are speaking of the same event, and the LAST trump of God. This trumpet is far from being secret and quiet.... a "great sound" of a trumpet.

The secret rapturist teachers have a major problem here to address, since they will try to convince their followers that the trumpet here occurs seven years later than the one in 1st Corinthians 15:52, yet Paul said the the trumpet in 1st Corinthians 15:52 is the LAST TRUMP of God...who shall be believe and follow? A another biblical reason why we must reject the secret rapture theory as false and a corruption of God's word.

3) The word of God teaches that the resurrection of believers will be at the LAST DAY.

Not as the secret rapturist teaches say, some 1007 before the last day!

John 6:39​

“And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

See also ~verses 40, 44, and 54.

Again:

John 11:24​

“Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Many of our modern day preachers will accuse Martha of not having very much light/understanding, concerning the resurrection of the saints, yet we know she had much more than most of have. Martha's understanding agrees with Job's teachings:

Job 14:12​

“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.”

Well we see that Job was not part of the secret rapturist group! Job KNEW man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” Peter taught the same.

2 Peter 3:10​

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

One word here ~beware of adding to what God calls the last day as many do. Oliver B. Greene when commenting on John 6;, 39, 40, 44 and 5r4 said not a word about the last day, when commenting on Martha's words accuses her of having a vague understanding about the last day. He said she did not have the marvelous account of the rapture as given in (of all places) 1st Corinthians 15 and 1st Thessalonians 4. The truth is, she believed just as others in the scriptures believed~that we shall be raised at the last trump, on the last day, at a times when the heavens shall be no more!

Coming back with six more points!

 

[Red Baker]

4) The Apostles taught that the heavens have received and will retain Christ "until" the times of restitution of all things.

Acts 3:21​

“Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
Luke said ~ "the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things"... obviously this time had not yet been fulfilled. Consider:

Romans 8:18-23~"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

That will take place at the last trump, on the last day, when all that are in the grave shall come forth, per John 5:29; 1st Thessalonians 4; etc. Acts 3:21 leaves no time after Christ comes again to finished what he had started 0-33 A.D. When our Lord leaves heaven, he will do so, to finish all things that are written, and at that time we , (all of the very elect, Jews and Gentiles) will receive our glorified bodies, not until then.

5) In 1st Corinthians 15:24-26 the scriptures teach us that Christ is reigning and will reign until God puts all of Christ's enemies under his feet.

Now, according to Paul, not me, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

1st Corinthians 15:26​

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Paul goes on to say in verse 54 of the same chapter that death shall be swallowed up in victory ~WHEN? At the resurrections of believers! If this is so, and it is, then how can the secret rapturist preacher preach that there shall be death after the church is raptured out of the world, and then again after the so-called literal 100o year millennium in the battle of Gog and magog? Here is another biblical reason why Christians must reject this unscriptural teaching of a secret rapture, and then a seven years of tribulation.....well, three and a half years of false peace and then 3 1/2 of all hell breaking out.

6) The parables of Matthew 13 are totally against this teaching of a secret rapture theory.

A) the parable concerning the tares and the wheat is against this teaching a parable that our Lord Jesus gave to us.

Matthew 13:30​

“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Is there anything in the verse hard to understand? No, very plain.

Matthew 13:39-43~"The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

B) The parable of the net is against a secret rapture theory and so should every child of God!

Matthew 13:47-50~"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth"

There so many more~why do not Christians who believe in a secret rapture teaching not compare their understand with the word of God, and come to understand that they have been deceived!

Coming back to finish the other three points.