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THE
~~SECRET
RAPTURE":
Lift-off or Letdown?
by
Clayton Steep
Sorne believe it will be the ultimate "great escape." And that it could
take place at any moment. But what does the Bible say?
M
ANY AN
ave r age
person on the street
may never ha ve
even heard of it un t il watch–
ing religious programs on
television or read in g the
newspaper. The .. rapture"?
What's that?
But large numbers of church–
goers in various religious de–
nominations hear all about it–
often. They live in constant
expectation of it. "Christ may
come tonight and snatch the
church away to beaven," the
minister assures in reviva! meet–
ings, in Sunday church services
and on televis ion.
Such a snatching away or "rap–
ture" of the church, it is claimed,
will be the next great prophetic
event. And it may take place at any
moment.
l t is generally supposed to hap–
pen this way: Strife, crime, evildo–
ing in the world will become
increasingly worse. Civil ization will
plunge headlong toward a time of
intense trouble. Suddenly, just
before the world arrives at a period
of calamity called "the tribula–
tion," we are told, Jesus will return
invisibly
and snatch away- "rap–
ture"- all "born-again" Christians.
Sorne add all dead Christians–
and, sorne say, aJI babies and young
chi ldren. J esus, we are assured, will
take them to heaven, away from
world turmoi l, for perhaps 3
Y2
or
October/ November 1981
seven years.
It
will be a sudden , yet
secrct event. No one will see it hap–
pen. Only the effects- empty cars,
empty houses, workers missing
from their jobs-will be apparent.
Some suggest what the newspa–
per headlines will be the day
after: -
" Milli ons Mysteriously Van–
ish!"
"Graves Found Open and Emp–
ty"
"Massive Traffic Snarls Due to
Missing Drivers"
"Ail Ch i ldren Have Disap–
peared!"
They go on to describe how all
the people who are left on earth
will have to go through 3Y2-some
say seven- years of terrible trouble
and punishment. Then, according
to this teaching, Christ will return
from heaven once again, bringing
all H is saints with Hirn. This time
it will not be in secret. The whole
world will see it happen.
That 's the way the "rapture" is
usually presented. But is that how
J esus announced He would return?
Will He come back in two phases–
one, secret and unexpected,for His
saints, to snatch them away, and a
second, publicly
with
His saints?
What does the Bible really say?
Pinpointing the T ime
Make no mistake about it! J esus
did promise to return to this earth
to restore the government of God
and to bring peace to the world. " l
go to prepare a place for you," He
said, "and if l go and prepare a
place for you,
1 will come again
[He did not say 'again and again'–
in two phases; He just said 'again'J
and receive you unto myself; that
where 1 am, there ye may be also"
(J ohn 14:2-3).
·
Notice it. The resurrected saints
go as far as the clouds in the atmo–
sphere to meet Jesus. J esus will
return and when He returns, H is
followers will be wherever He is.
Where will J esus be? Dashing
away to heaven? On earth? Some–
where in between?
Jsn't it time we opened our
Bibles to see what is plainly
revealed? J esus' Second Coming is
described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-
l7. Here we find that it is not invis–
ible nor secret.
It
is announced
with great sounds:
" For the Lord himself shal l
descend from heaven with a
shout
[this is not something done in
secret!], with the voice of the arch–
angel, and with the trump of God
(the voice of an archangel and the
blast of a trumpet will be heard!):
and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord."
Here is no secret rapture!
The return of Jesus is spokcn of
again in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52:
"Behold, 1 shew you a mystery
[the mystery is not a quiet rapture
as some say it is. Notice!]: we shall
not all sleep, bu t we shall all be
(Continued on page 28)
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