Dr. Couch, what is the rapture of the church? I hear so much controversy about this doctrine. Help me?
ANSWER: The doctrine of the rapture of the church is as defendable as any other truth of Scripture. However, there are those who
simply want to dismiss it because it does not fit into their
preconceived theological framework.
There are about thirteen rapture passages.
Two keys stand out: (1) the rapture could have happened to Paul and all
true believers in his day. When writing about it, he continually uses
the pronouns: “we, you, us.” The rapture could have taken place at any
moment, even upon his generation!
The rapture of true believers has to do with
the fact that we will caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord before
the terrible day of God’s wrath, the tribulation, falls upon a very
sinful and rebellious world population. I believe we are getting closer
to the prophesied seven year tribulation, and thus, the removal of the
church, the bride of Christ, just prior to that horrible event of
earthly punishment.
Some of the important rapture passages:
- ”[You believers], be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. … Behold, the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:7-9).
- ”[You Thessalonians] are waiting for [God’s] Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who “will drag us away” from the wrath “that is on its way” (1 Thess. 1:9-10, Greek).
- ”Are you not our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? (1 Thess. 2:17-19). [The word “before” is emprosthen in Greek and means “in the sight of, in the face of.”]
- ”So that [He may] establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints” (1 Thess. 3:13).
- When the trumpet of God sounds, “The ones who are living, that is the ones who are remaining on the earth, shall be snatched (raptured, snatched away, jerked away) into the clouds unto the meeting place of the Lord in the air; and thus all of us together (along with the dead who are raised), shall ourselves be with the Lord. Likewise be comforting one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
- ”For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him” (1 Thess. 5:9-10).
- ”I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, at the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
- ”Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform this humiliated body into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21).
- ”Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13).
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
