This is a continuing series of posts where I am summarizing and reflecting on the sermons in our senior pastor’s four part series on biblical prophecy, “So What’s Next?”.
- Introduction to the End Times
- Reflection on the first sermon
- Reflection on the second sermon
- Reflection on the third sermon – part I
The first “coming attraction” event that was discussed in the third sermon was The Rapture.
Now, the rapture, as defined by a dispensationalist, is the sudden and secret sweeping away of the church from this world by Christ prior to the anti-Christ figure rising to world dominance and persecuting the world through a 7 year period called the Great Tribulation (more on the Great Tribulation next time).
This is seen as a separate event from the actual second coming of Christ; it is prior and it is secret.
Let me show my hand first: I don’t believe there will be a Rapture event separated from the second coming of Christ – I believe they are one event, that as Christ returns on the clouds to judge the world, the church will be gathered to meet him, and descend with him to the earth.
Now back to the sermon.
The Rapture was discussed in the sermon using a passage from 1 Thessalonians.
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.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Let me make a few observations about this:
This text gives no indication that this event is separate from the second coming of Christ
Read it for yourself. No seriously, read it again. It’s not complex, it’s not confusing.
There is simply no indication in the text itself that Paul has in mind a secret call of the church out of the world. It’s not there.
Paul calls it “the coming of the Lord”; it is clearly a public announcement (see point below); and there is no discussion whatsoever of national Israel or being saved from a tribulation period, not even a hint.
The purpose of the passage is to inform the brethren at Thessalonica about those who have already died. Paul’s point is to encourage them, to encourage them that those who have already died will in fact rise again and be with Christ.
If Paul’s purpose was to delimit this event as separate from the real second coming of Jesus, he would have had to do a much better job of explaining it – reading this text without dispensational glasses gives no indication that this is a secret rapture of the church.
So, why do dispensationalists see it this way?
Quite simply, because of their interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27 (a whole different can of worms that I won’t go into now).
Their interpretation of the Daniel passage says that God’s plan with Israel must be taken up again before a 7 year period of great tribulation; and because of that, there must be a secret take-out of the Church from the world before God deals with Israel again.
Hence, the “secret Rapture” event, and hence, the forced interpretation of this passage in 1 Thessalonians to fit their scheme.
The event discussed in this text is announced publicly
One of the most compelling reasons that this text is not about a secret take-out of the church is the strong language used in verse 16 to describe how Christ comes.
- The Lord himself will descend from heaven
- with a cry of command
- with the voice of an archangel
- with the sound of the trumpet of God
Does any of that sound “secret” to you? It doesn’t to me – the plain meaning is that this event is public, it’s loud, it’s unmistakable.
But in the sermon, an interpretation was given that I think is obviously read into the text to support the secret rapture view.
He said that this cry, this angelic voice, this trumpet of God is heard only by believers. Look for yourself – is that in the text?
Granted, the text goes on to describe the response of believers only (both dead and alive), but that has more to do with Paul’s purpose in this passage (to encourage the church about those believers who have already died) than it has to do with these unmistakable sounds only being heard by believers.
The event discussed in this text fits quite nicely with other texts that are clearly about the second coming of Christ
I want to point out one aspect of this text that shows up in a couple other places in the New Testament.
Notice in verse 17, it mentions that we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds.
It seems like a somewhat strange statement, but let’s look at two other passages that I believe help clarify this, and help solidify this passage as talking about THE second coming of Christ.
First, In the opening verses of Acts, we see Jesus ascending to heaven:
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
— Acts 1:9-11
Look at that!
He is taken to heaven on a cloud, and then the angels tell the disciples that when Jesus returns he will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
The plain meaning of this is that when Jesus returns, it will be on a cloud and we will be able to see him. It doesn’t matter if you are a believer or not. If non believers were there with the disciples, would Christ’s ascension to heaven on a cloud been “secret” in any way? No, it was done in plain sight, a public event. And his return will be likewise.
Therefore, when the passage in 1 Thessalonians talks about us meeting the Lord in the clouds, it creates a strong connection to this passage in the book of Acts.
Second, the cloud motif arises again in the opening verses of Revelation:
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
— Revelation 1:7
Again we have a statement of Jesus coming with the clouds.
And here in Revelation, it clearly speaks of the second coming of Christ, for every eye will see him. And the response of non-believers will be to wail on account of him.
Just as in the Acts passage, the cloud motif creates a strong connection with the 1 Thessalonians passage. It is compelling evidence that they are speaking of the same event. And with no evidence in the 1 Thessalonians to suggest otherwise, the best conclusion is that there is one event, one return of Jesus.
Summary
To summarize, there is simply no good reason for seeing the 1 Thessalonians passage as a different event from the second coming. To arrive at that conclusion, you must read into the text a specific scheme of the end times. I don’t think that is what Paul had in mind.
To the contrary, there is strong evidence for seeing the event in 1 Thessalonians as the public, unmistakable, glorious return of Jesus Christ, where He will call all believers, dead and alive, to join him in the clouds as he returns to judge the earth and establish his reign visibly in the new creation.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus!
