I have grown up around churches teaching either supporting a pre tribulation rapture, or if they don’t, they say nothing at all about it. Recently I attended what seemed to be a solid Bible believing church in every aspect. But then I asked the pastor if he believed in a literal 1000 yr reign with Christ. And he didn’t. He didn’t think the rapture was biblical. I was taken back. I was afraid to ask questions because I didn’t want him to sway me from what I believed. We decided to find a different church. We really miss the general teaching but I don’t know what to think about end time stuff anymore. It kind of deflated our balloon that says pre trib. I have no idea what to believe. I can understand there could be parallels that I am missing. I don’t want to miss out on the Kingdom of God at work now. But flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom. There must be a point when our bodies are changed.
struggling,
This is the verse that seems to cause most controversy when discussing the Rapture:
Exegesis of 1 Thess 4:17
The contentious verse 17 in the Greek can be read at
SBLNT.
The key word causing controversy against the Rapture doctrine is
harpagesometha. I need to get a little technical to parse this word and seek its meaning in lexicons and word studies. It is first person plural (i.e. ‘we’), future, passive, indicative of
harpazw (will be caught up).
Harpazw means ‘I snatch or take away … in such a way that no resistance is offered’. Paul was ‘caught up to the third heaven’ (2 Cor 12:2). First Thess 4:17 is associated with this meaning of being snatched away with no way to resist (Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich 1957:108).
The church being ‘caught up’ or raptured was taught long before J N Darby (1800-1882). Darby was the founder of the Plymouth Brethren denomination in the UK who promoted his dispensational theories, beginning in the Anglican church but he found no satisfaction there (see Graves 2007).
Some want to associate the Rapture doctrine as a late invention (19th century) by J N Darby. My research in the early church fathers found that not to be the case. See my research in
The Rapture in the early church fathers.
In his word study of
harpazw, Foerster (1964:472) gave the meaning as ‘to take something forcefully (firmly, quickly, or rapaciously)’. It can mean ‘to steal’ (Josephus) and in the NT is is ‘used in parables to speak of conflict between the kingdom of God and that of Satan… It occurs at 2 Cor:12:2, 4 (vision); 1 Thess 4:17; Rev 12:5 (“to catch up or away”); Acts 8:39 – always expressing a mighty operation of God’.
A T Robertson’s assessment was that
harpazw was an ‘old verb to seize, to carry off like Latin
rapio…. This rapture of the saints (both risen and changed) is a glorious climax to Paul’s argument of consolation’ (Robertson 1931:32). Vincent’s word studies (1887/1946:43) gives the meaning of ‘shall be caught up’ to include ‘by a swift, resistless, divine energy’ (cf. 2 Cor 12:2, 4; Acts 8:39).
Therefore, the meaning of ‘caught up’ in 1 Thess 4:17 is to be caught up or taken away forcefully by a mighty operation of God, called the Rapture.
The message of the Rapture in 1 Thess 4:17 harmonizes with Jesus’ statements about his Second Coming in Matthew 24:36-44 (NLT):
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Christians don’t know the time of the Second Coming of Jesus and the Rapture of the church. Only God the Father knows that. However, those who love the Lord live in glorious expectation of meeting our Master and Saviour.
Oz
Works consulted
Bauer, W (transl, 4th rev, & aug ed), Arndt, W F & Gingrich, F W, 1957,
A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament, trans. & adapt. of Bauer, W, The University of Chicago Press (limited edition, Zondervan Publishing House), Chicago.
Foester, W 1964.
harpazw, in Kittel, G (ed)
Theological dictionary of the New Testament, vol 1, 372-373. Tr and ed by G W Bromiley. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Graves, D 2007. John Darby of the Plymouth Brethren.
Christian History (online), April. Available at:
https://www.christianity.com/church...-darby-of-the-plymouth-brethren-11630602.html (Accessed 15 November 2021).
Robertson, A T 1931.
Word pictures in the New Testament: The epistles of Paul, vol 4. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press.
Vincent, M R 1887/1946.
Word Studies in the New Testament, vol 4. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.