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The Second
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The Secret Rapture
How will the Lord Jesus Christ return in His Second Coming?
Paul Wong
Our family lived in Santa Monica,
California in the early seventies and we often drove to Huntington Beach and
Costa Mesa where I conducted Friday evening and Saturday morning Sabbath services
in our church members’ homes. It was
common to see automobiles along Highway 405 with bumper stickers that read “In
case of rapture, this car will be unmanned”. At that time it was the era of the Jesus
People and
When I asked the question, “Where will you be during the Great
Tribulation?” our Christian friends would give answers like “I’ll be out of
this world” or “I’ll be with Jesus in Heaven”.
I then asked them, “Do you mean you will be dead by then?” They quickly replied, “No, we would have raptured and disappeared from the earth.” “Really!” I turned to Matthew 24:29-31 and showed them
what it says:
“Immediately after the
tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will
be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other.” (Mt. 24:29-31)
Here is a clear statement from our Lord Jesus Christ who
said that He will be coming “immediately after the tribulation” and not before, so how can Christians be with Him in Heaven
during the Great Tribulation? Our Christian
friends explained they would be secretly raptured before that time,
which means they will suddenly disappear from the earth before the Great Tribulation occurs. The word “rapture” is derived from the Latin
word “raptura” with the
meaning of “seizure” or being snatched away.
It also means overwhelming happiness.
How did we get the Secret Rapture Theory
Before the Nineteenth Century nobody has ever heard of the Secret
Rapture Theory. In the early part of
1830 a young woman named Margaret Macdonald from the Catholic Apostolic Church
in Port Glasgow, Scotland claimed to have received the revelation that a select
group of Christians would be caught up to meet Jesus Christ in the air before
the days of the Antichrist.
John Nelson Darby (1800–1882), one of leaders of the
The Dispensation doctrine states that when the Church is raptured into heaven the Jews will be left behind to face
the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation which lasts seven years. C. I. Schofield published his Reference Bible
in 1909 with notes referring to the dispensation doctrine. Today you can find many books on the End Time
promoting the dispensation doctrine and the Secret Rapture Theory.
“Left Behind”
“But as the days of Noah
were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that
Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all
away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will
be taken and the other left. Two women
will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what
hour your Lord is coming.” (Mt. 24:37-42)
Our Lord Jesus Christ draws an analogy to the days of Noah in which the
wicked people were taken away and destroyed by the flood. They “did not know until the flood came and took them all away”. Only Noah and his family were left behind
because they entered the Ark which
symbolized the Lord Jesus Christ.
Promoters of the Secret Rapture theory in the “Left Behind”
fictional novels have the reverse interpretation of what our Lord intended for His
analogy of the days of Noah. Our Lord
Jesus Christ meant those “left behind” are the ones who are saved whereas the
fictional novels portray those “left behind” are the ones who are not saved. Who do you want to believe - the Lord Jesus
Christ or the authors of the fictional novels?
Is the Secret Rapture Theory biblical?
This secret rapture theory is fascinating but is it
biblical? Let us examine some of the
scriptural verses that proponents of the Secret Rapture Theory use to support
their beliefs.
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back as a thief
in the night
The New Testament
has many passages that compare the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with
the unexpected house break-in of the thief at night. Those who teach the Secret Rapture say the
Lord Jesus Christ will come as a thief in the night to snatch away true
believers while others are asleep. Let
us examine each passage carefully and see what is their real
message.
Matthew 24:42-43 Our Lord said, “Watch therefore, for you
do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
But know this, that if the master of the house
had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed
his house to be broken in.” These verses say
nothing about the secret rapture, but only indicate Jesus will return like the
thief who would come at an unknown and unexpected time. The warning is for Christians to be ready at
all times.
1 Thessalonians
5:2 The
apostle Paul wrote: “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord
so comes as a thief in the night.” This verse
does not mean that believers would be raptured
because if you read two verses below Paul gave the explanation. “But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that
this Day should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thes. 5:4) It says nothing about a secret rapture. Again, the message here is NOT that Jesus' coming will be
secret, but that it will occur at a time when most will not expect it,
therefore we must WATCH!
2 Peter
Revelation 3:3 The Lord Jesus
Christ said: “Remember therefore how you have received and heard: hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come
upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” There is
nothing in this verse that even vaguely suggests that Christians will be raptured secretly.
Here is an instruction for them to watch because nobody knows when Jesus
will be returning.
Revelation 16:15
This verse states, “Behold, I am coming as a
thief.” Again it says nothing about a secret rapture. The rest of the verse state, “Blessed is he who
watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked
and they see his shame.” This verse is preceded and followed by verses that show very
clearly the Lord Jesus Christ will only return after “battle of that great day
of God Almighty. . . Armageddon.” (Rev. 16:14-16)
Unless you insert your own interpretation into the verses there
is nothing to indicate there is any secret rapture before the Lord Jesus Christ
returns.
The Return of the Lord Jesus Christ is visible
and audible, and there is
no Third Coming
Advocates of the Secret Rapture teach there are two phases
of the Lord’s Return. In the first phase
Jesus will come secretly to take believers with Him to Heaven, and in the
second phase, which is after the Great Tribulation, our Lord will
return with the saints. Although they do
not like to admit it but they are suggesting that our Lord Jesus Christ will have a
Third Coming. Where in the Bible does it
say that? Let us examine some of the
scriptural verses that show this theory of the Secret Rapture and the Third
Coming is completely flawed.
1. Testimony
of the angels After the Lord Jesus Christ
ascended to heaven the two angels spoke to the Lord’s disciples: Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? 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
2. Appearance
a second time This
verse states very clearly that our Lord Jesus Christ will appear a second
time. “So Christ was offered
once to bear the sins of many. To those
who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for
salvation.” (Heb. 9:28) Christ’s appearance a second time is not a
secret at all. “When Christ who is our
life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Col. 3:4)
3. Christ’s
Second Coming will be like the lightning
In the discourse on His Second Coming our Lord Jesus Christ describes it
so graphically that no one can misinterpret it any other way: “For as the lightning comes from the east and
flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Mt. 24:27) Can
anyone not see the lightning when it flashes across the sky? How then can anyone think the Second Coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ will be a secret one?
4. Every
eye will see Jesus Christ when He comes again When the Lord
returns He will not only appear to His disciples but also to every person on
earth. “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye
will see him, and they also who pierced Him.
And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” (Rev.
1:7) There is no secret about the Lord’s
Second Coming.
5. The
Lord Jesus Christ will appear to all the tribes of the earth Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself stated He
would return immediately after the Great Tribulation. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Mt. 24:29-31) There
is nothing secret about the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ when everyone on
the earth will see His coming.
6. The
Lord will descend from heaven with a shout
The apostle Paul wrote about the Return of the
Lord Jesus Christ. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. 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. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16-18) There is nothing in these verses that says
the Lord’s Second Coming will be a quiet and secret one. After the Second Coming the saints will be
with Jesus Christ forever.
7. The
Lord Jesus Christ will come at the last trumpet Here is what the apostle Paul wrote: “Behold, I tell you a
mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and
the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Cor. 15:51-52) “And He will send His angels with a great sound
of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other.” (Mt.
24:31) There are
seven trumpets mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 8:6). From the first trumpet to the sixth trumpet
the earth will be undergoing the Great Tribulation (Rev. 8:7-13; 9:1-21). “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were
loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15)
If you read through the entire Bible you will never be able find
one single verse that even remotely suggests the Lord Jesus Christ will return
in secret to take the believers with Him to Heaven, and then return again the
third time. The New Testament clearly refers
to the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ as His Second and Final Coming before
the earth is destroyed by fire (2 Pet.
May God bless
you
This article is a presentation of Paul Wong
to the ARK Forum on
For
comments please write first to: arkpw@sbcglobal.net
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Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International. |
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