Revelation's Rapture 

Intro 

According to Time Magazine, it was “among the best selling fiction books of our times—right up there with Tom Clancy and Stephen King.” I’ll be back in a moment with the prophetic perspective on Left Behind.

Message

Hello, this is Cody Francis with Prophetic Perspectives. Nobody, not even the authors would have guessed it, according to Entertainment Weekly,  a blockbuster success. It was the best selling novel in the world in 2001. It has been called the fast selling adult fiction series ever. It topped the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today best selling lists again and again. The series has sold over 62 million. Now there is every imaginable spin off—board & video games, comic books, calendars, greetings cards, prequels, sequels, you name it. It is, of course, the Left Behind series—a series of Christian novels in an apocalyptic setting. The entire premise behind these multi-million dollar best sellers is what is called “the rapture”—a sudden disappearance of believers. What many haven’t realized is that this is a relatively new development in Christian doctrine. John Nelson Darby of the Plymouth Brethren is considered by many to be the father and promoter of this belief in the mid-1800s, but was not popularized in this country until less than a hundred years ago in the Scofield Reference Bible. On the scale of Christian doctrine a brief belief indeed. Brief or not the question to settle is what does the Bible say? Does the Bible teach the glamorized Left Behind or has this fictious work left truth behind? Let us turn to the Word of God to discover the truth of Revelation’s Rapture.

Outline

        I.      Rapture not a Biblical word

A.     Classic Latin word – Raptus or Vulgate rapiemur

B.     Equivalent word Greek – harpadzo – to seize, snatch, take away

1. 1 Thes. 4:17 – caught up to meet him

2. 2 Cor. 12:2, 4 – go into vision

3. John 10:12 – wolf catching the sheep

4. John 10:28, 29 – no one being able to take out of our Father’s hand

5. Acts 8:39 – Philip was caught away & transported to another place

6. Acts 23:10 – taking by force – Paul

7. Rev. 12:5 – Jesus’ ascension

8. Variety of applications

a.       Sudden disappearing

b.      Goes nowhere, only in vision

c.       Using military to take by force

d.      Jesus ascension

C.     How was Jesus raptured? – Acts 1:9-11

1. Not a sudden disappearance, for cloud received & kept looking

2. “As he went up” something seen & took a period of time

3. Literal, visible “snatching up” – model for how he will return

D.     How will we be raptured? – 1 Thes. 4:16, 17

1. Shout & trumpet – audible

2. All faithful gathered together

E.      Does not fit the Hollywood model of today

1. Sudden disappearing, leaving only clothes & jewelry; planes & cars

2. Harpidzo/rapture of the Bible is a audible, visible, non-sudden ascension

3. Previous program studied six points Bible

a.       Literal

b.      Glorious

c.       Powerful

d.      Visible

e.       Audible

f.        Decisive

     II.      Bible pictures one glorious event of Jesus coming & rapturing His people

A.     1 Thes. 4:16, 17 – clouds, trumpet, gathering together, dead raised

B.     Matt. 24:30, 31 – clouds, trumpet, gathering together

C.     1 Cor. 15:51-53 – trumpet, dead raised

D.     Blessed Hope & glorious appearing – same – Titus 2:13

1. Granville Sharp’s rule – two nouns connected with kai

2. “As we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” – New International Version

3. 1 Peter 1:13 – hope is the revelation of Jesus Christ

E.      Hollywood version does not match clear Bible descriptions

   III.      Rapture not until after the Antichrist

A.     2 Thes. 2:1-3 – we are not gathered until antichrist comes

B.     2 Thes. 2:8 – Antichrist & followers then destroyed at His coming

C.     Contemporary rapture idea – God’s people gone, don’t worry about warnings against the Antichrist

D.     God is trying to get us to wake up – must take His warnings serious, for us!

  IV.      Misapplied passages

A.     Thief in the night

1. Not a secret or silent, but a surprise – 1 Thes. 5:4

2. Heavens & earth melt – 2 Pet. 3:10

B.     One taken, one left – Matt. 24:40

1. As in the days of Noah – Matt. 24:37 -39

2. Eternal separation: one side or the other – which side will we be on?

     V.      Conclusion:

  VI.      When Jesus comes powerful, glorious, earth shaking & shattering event

A.     Not two comings – one silently for God’s people to vanish away

B.     One grand climactic event, Jesus descends from heaven cloudy chariot

VII.      Two camps, two choices for us

1. “I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness” – Matt. 7:23

2. Wicked running caves & mountains trying to hide

3. Destroyed w/brightness of His coming

B.     “Come you blessed of My Father” – Matt. 25:31

1. Rise to meet Him in the clouds of glory

2. Ascend place Jesus been preparing for us

C.       Which side will we be on? Have we surrendered our lives fully & completely to Him?