A Ramble about the Rapture

Several decades ago, an Evangelical Protestant author by the name of Hal Lindsey wrote several books on the subject of eschatology, or “end times theology”. In these books, he popularized a particular paradigm of the End Times from certain interpretations of Daniel, Ezekiel, and the Revelation of John. Some thirty or more years later, this paradigm tends to be the only accepted paradigm within the Evangelical Protestant churches, and all others are condemned as heresy. This paradigm has been popularized even more by the relatively recent publication of the “Left Behind” series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, and the subsequent movies which were based on that series.

This paradigm, as simply put as possible goes something like: Rapture of Christians, a seven year Great Tribulation, return of Jesus Christ, a 1,000 year rule of Jesus Christ on Earth, New Heavens and New Earth into Eternity. This is the interpretation of the Scriptures and eschatological paradigm I was taught in Bible School by very sincere and godly professors.

Recently, a pastor from an Evangelical church declared that the Rapture was going to occur on May 21, 2011. When that didn't occur, he revised his estimate for it to have occurred yesterday as of this writing, October 21, 2011. It has been the obsession of many within the Church for a very long time to attempt to decode secret number systems and dates within the Scriptures to give an exact date for the end of this world. It doesn't seem to matter that Jesus Himself said that He didn't know either, only God the Father knew for certain. I think that it should go without saying that if God the Son didn't know after His incarnation, then the odds are beyond astronomical that anyone else outside of God the Father will be clued in.

The biggest problem with all of this is that it's not what the ancient Church taught. In fact, this kind of paradigm was explicitly anathematized by the Ecumenical Church Council which finalized the Nicene Creed. Specifically, the separate 1,000 year reign of Christ on Earth (also known as “Chiliasm”) was anathematized because it was being taught by a heretical group, the Montanists (whose founder, Montanus, believed he was the “paraclete”, the Comforter spoken of by Jesus at the Last Supper). It was also taught by the Ebionites, who saw Jesus, not as God, but only a prophet like Moses and demanded strict adherence to the Mosaic Law. It was condemned outright at the Second Ecumenical Council, and the words “and His kingdom shall have no end” were included in the Nicene Creed to reflect this. The thousand year reign talked about in the Revelation of John has generally been interpreted by the Church metaphorically because of this.

That there will be a “Great Tribulation” has never been in dispute, although the ancient Church never really attempted to assign a time frame as to how long it would take (if you can correct me with a reference from the Fathers I would appreciate it). There were several times in the centuries following the Apostles when many believed they were in the middle of it during the persecutions, and the Bishops and priests of the Church had to calm them down and direct them otherwise. St. Paul had to even reassure those churches which he founded regarding this in the 1st letter to the Corinthians, and the 1st letter to the Thessalonians.

That Jesus Christ will return bodily has always been believed and professed by the Church in the same way as His Resurrection. This was professed all the way up to the Councils, who then made sure to state it directly in the common profession of faith, the Nicene Creed, so that there would be no misunderstandings, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.”

So then, for the purposes of this Ramble, this leaves the Rapture with which to contend. What did the ancient Church teach about this?

The first reference to it in Scripture is in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV):

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

In the primary passage of the New Testament dealing with this, St. Paul explicitly links the transformation of the living Christians with the Resurrection and transformation of those who have died in Christ. The primary passage dealing with the Resurrection in the New Testament, also written by St. Paul, is in 1 Corinthians 15. Verses 35-55 (WEB) say this:

"But someone will say, 'How are the dead raised?' and, 'With what kind of body do they come?' You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies. That which you sow, you don’t sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind. But God gives it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.

“So also it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will 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 will be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
'Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?'”

So then, in St. Paul's mind, and his writings are the primary source material for this subject, the Rapture, the transformation of living Christians, would occur after the Resurrection of those who had died in Christ as a part of the same process of the bodily transformation of all Christians into the same kind of Resurrected and ascended body as our Lord. And he states very clearly that it would happen when Jesus Christ returned.

So, when does Jesus Christ return in relation to the Great Tribulation? All sources from Scripture, including Jesus Himself, and all sources from the Fathers profess that He would return after the Great Tribulation, or at it's apex depending on how you look at it. Thus, the transformation of the bodies of all Christians, either in the body or with the Lord, will occur after the Great Tribulation.

And this is what we find that the ancient Church taught regarding it as St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons in the second century, writes: “'There will be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither will be.' For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which they are crowned with incorruption—when they overcome.”

So then, if this is the clear teaching of the Church, and always has been, why did this kind of a pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching come about?

The first real mention and teaching of this kind occurred in 1830 with the birth of modern Pentecostalism and the followers of a minister who was dismissed from the Presbyterian Church in Scotland named Edward Irving. One of his followers, Margaret MacDonald, was very ill and apparently receiving “visions” during her illness. During these visions, she believed that she had received a prophecy of a two stage second coming of Christ, with a pre-Tribulation Rapture. Fairly soon after this, the entire group was professing and singing about a deliverance from the coming Great Tribulation through the Rapture. The teaching became more widespread after John Darby visited this group in Scotland, and even Miss MacDonald in her home. Contemporary Bible scholars and teachers took it from there, and soon it spread to nearly every Evangelical Protestant Bible School in the English speaking world.

So, where do we go from here? We need to be careful of any teaching that promises an “easy out” for Christians. Jesus never promised an easy out. All of His Apostles were tortured, and nearly all of them died in horrible ways. The first three hundred years of the Church were written in the blood of those who refused to deny Him. Our faith in Him should not be based on an expectation that we will be spared any suffering. That's not what He taught. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to suffer with Him, and if you aren't experiencing this then maybe it's time to re-evaluate your personal discipleship. Are you actually doing what He taught.

The Christian path is the hard path. There are no easy outs except for death, and only when He chooses. And when it does come it is not something to be feared, but is our release and rest until that final transformation. It is this transformation which is our hope in Him.