A NUGGET OF TRUTH.
THE ORIGIN OF THE SECRET RAPTURE DOCTRINE, IT CAME FROM THE PEN OF JESUITS, AND THE BIBLE PROOF THAT THE RAPTURE THEORY IS FALSE.
For almost 300 years after the Council of Trent, Jesuit futurism remained largely within Catholicism, but the plan of the Jesuits was that Protestants would adopt this doctrine. This adoption process actually began in the early 1800s in England, and from there it spread to America.
The story of how this happened is both fascinating and tragic because those who made futurism a mainstream Protestant doctrine were Protestants themselves. The Futurism of Ribera never posed a positive threat to Protestants worldwide for three centuries. It did stop the Reformation in Eastern Europe. However, largely, it was virtually confined to the Roman Church. But earlier in the nineteenth century it sprang forth with vehemence as it latched on to Protestants of the Established Church of England.
Origin of the Secret Rapture Doctrine
As the doctrine of futurism was spreading across Europe, the much-respected Scottish Presbyterian minister Edward Irving (1792-1834), the acknowledged forerunner of both the Pentecostal and charismatic movements, came onto the scene. Irving pastored the large Chalcedonian Chapel in London with over 1000 members.
When Irving turned to the prophecies, he eventually accepted the one-man Antichrist ideas of Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera. But Irving went a step further. Around 1830, Edward Irving began to teach the unique idea of a two-phase return of Christ, the first phase being a secret rapture prior to the rise of the Antichrist. This is how Protestants themselves worked to undermine the doctrines once held by the Reformers.
The dispensational view of the rapture is unBiblical, and gives those who reject God the false belief that they will have another chance to turn to God after God's people are raptured.
Some Christians believe that Christ will secretly steal away His church before the tribulation. Then after seven years of Antichrist ruling on earth, Christ will return with His saints to reign with them on earth for a thousand years. What does the Bible say about these things?
One of the main verses used to support these ideas include the following:
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
This passage reassures believers that because Christ rose from the dead, resurrection is certain for “the dead in Christ” (vs. 16). It also teaches the order of the “rapture”: the dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain will rise up to meet them in the clouds. So, the living saints will witness the opening of the graves and the resurrection of the sleeping saints. What a privilege it will be to be alive at that time!
However, the passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 presents a problem for those who believe in a secret rapture. Some think that unbelievers won’t know about this snatching away of God’s people, but, according to these verses, there’s nothing secret about it. These verses are not talking about a “secret rapture” at all, but rather about the one and only second coming of Christ when He takes His people home.
The Lord will “shout,” the “voice of the archangel” will be heard, and the trumpet of God will sound. The only way these verses can be made to be a silent event, is to assume something that Scripture does not say here or elsewhere. To assume that only God’s people will hear what the Bible describes as loud and audible is to read something into the verses that isn’t there. Some assume that unbelievers, by some miracle, will not hear these announcements from heaven. This is imposing a view upon the text, making it say something it is not saying. (See also Matt 24:31-32, John 5:28-29, 1 Cor 15:52, Ps 50:3, etc.) According to Scripture, the “secret” part of the rapture does not exist. We must let Scripture interpret Scripture.
Another idea is that, at the rapture, Jesus will come “as a thief in the night” and steal His people away. This idea is based on Paul’s words to Christians in Thessalonica.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1 Thess 5:1,2
Does this verse tell us that Jesus will come secretly as a thief to steal away the church? No. Paul is saying that we can know that Christ’s coming is near.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thess 5:3
One of the signs of Christ’s coming would be when people think there’s peace and safety, and then, just as a pregnant woman suddenly goes into labor, there will be no stopping the last-day events (vs. 3). Then he says,
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thess 5:4
In other words, Paul was warning the Thessalonian Christians that they should be alert and ready for Christ’s return. They should not be caught off guard as those who are unaware of the thief’s approach and are overtaken when he comes (vs. 4) and sudden destruction comes upon them (vs. 3).
Another problem with using the “thief in the night” scenario to describe the secret rapture is that those who use this analogy see Christ as the thief. They believe that His coming as a thief is a good thing. The trouble with this is, that nowhere in the Scriptures is a thief used in a positive light. When used as a figure or symbol, the coming of a thief is always bad news, never good news. (Job 24:14, Jer 2:26, Joel 2:9, Mt 24:43-44, Lk 12:39, John 10:1, 2 Pet 3:10, Rev 3:3, Rev 16:15)
Dispensationalism may create a false hope of a second chance for those who put off making a full commitment to Christ. Actually, some dispensationalists believe that the great multitude (Rev 7:9-14) will be made up of people who are saved during the great tribulation. Some believe the great multitude will be those who never had an opportunity to hear the true Gospel until it’s preached to them during the greatest revival of all time that will happen after the rapture. Some believe that after the rapture God will send 144 000 Jewish evangelists, the two miracle-working witnesses, and an angel from heaven to preach the Gospel and a great multitude will be saved. Some believe this, though there is no such precedent of supernatural evangelism anywhere in the Bible.
Another problem with dispensationalism is that it leaves believing Christians unprepared to face hardship and persecution and may set them up for faith-shattering disappointment when they realize the time of trouble has come and they were not raptured.
THE ORIGIN OF THE SECRET RAPTURE DOCTRINE, IT CAME FROM THE PEN OF JESUITS, AND THE BIBLE PROOF THAT THE RAPTURE THEORY IS FALSE.
For almost 300 years after the Council of Trent, Jesuit futurism remained largely within Catholicism, but the plan of the Jesuits was that Protestants would adopt this doctrine. This adoption process actually began in the early 1800s in England, and from there it spread to America.
The story of how this happened is both fascinating and tragic because those who made futurism a mainstream Protestant doctrine were Protestants themselves. The Futurism of Ribera never posed a positive threat to Protestants worldwide for three centuries. It did stop the Reformation in Eastern Europe. However, largely, it was virtually confined to the Roman Church. But earlier in the nineteenth century it sprang forth with vehemence as it latched on to Protestants of the Established Church of England.
Origin of the Secret Rapture Doctrine
As the doctrine of futurism was spreading across Europe, the much-respected Scottish Presbyterian minister Edward Irving (1792-1834), the acknowledged forerunner of both the Pentecostal and charismatic movements, came onto the scene. Irving pastored the large Chalcedonian Chapel in London with over 1000 members.
When Irving turned to the prophecies, he eventually accepted the one-man Antichrist ideas of Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera. But Irving went a step further. Around 1830, Edward Irving began to teach the unique idea of a two-phase return of Christ, the first phase being a secret rapture prior to the rise of the Antichrist. This is how Protestants themselves worked to undermine the doctrines once held by the Reformers.
The dispensational view of the rapture is unBiblical, and gives those who reject God the false belief that they will have another chance to turn to God after God's people are raptured.
Some Christians believe that Christ will secretly steal away His church before the tribulation. Then after seven years of Antichrist ruling on earth, Christ will return with His saints to reign with them on earth for a thousand years. What does the Bible say about these things?
One of the main verses used to support these ideas include the following:
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
This passage reassures believers that because Christ rose from the dead, resurrection is certain for “the dead in Christ” (vs. 16). It also teaches the order of the “rapture”: the dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain will rise up to meet them in the clouds. So, the living saints will witness the opening of the graves and the resurrection of the sleeping saints. What a privilege it will be to be alive at that time!
However, the passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 presents a problem for those who believe in a secret rapture. Some think that unbelievers won’t know about this snatching away of God’s people, but, according to these verses, there’s nothing secret about it. These verses are not talking about a “secret rapture” at all, but rather about the one and only second coming of Christ when He takes His people home.
The Lord will “shout,” the “voice of the archangel” will be heard, and the trumpet of God will sound. The only way these verses can be made to be a silent event, is to assume something that Scripture does not say here or elsewhere. To assume that only God’s people will hear what the Bible describes as loud and audible is to read something into the verses that isn’t there. Some assume that unbelievers, by some miracle, will not hear these announcements from heaven. This is imposing a view upon the text, making it say something it is not saying. (See also Matt 24:31-32, John 5:28-29, 1 Cor 15:52, Ps 50:3, etc.) According to Scripture, the “secret” part of the rapture does not exist. We must let Scripture interpret Scripture.
Another idea is that, at the rapture, Jesus will come “as a thief in the night” and steal His people away. This idea is based on Paul’s words to Christians in Thessalonica.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1 Thess 5:1,2
Does this verse tell us that Jesus will come secretly as a thief to steal away the church? No. Paul is saying that we can know that Christ’s coming is near.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thess 5:3
One of the signs of Christ’s coming would be when people think there’s peace and safety, and then, just as a pregnant woman suddenly goes into labor, there will be no stopping the last-day events (vs. 3). Then he says,
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thess 5:4
In other words, Paul was warning the Thessalonian Christians that they should be alert and ready for Christ’s return. They should not be caught off guard as those who are unaware of the thief’s approach and are overtaken when he comes (vs. 4) and sudden destruction comes upon them (vs. 3).
Another problem with using the “thief in the night” scenario to describe the secret rapture is that those who use this analogy see Christ as the thief. They believe that His coming as a thief is a good thing. The trouble with this is, that nowhere in the Scriptures is a thief used in a positive light. When used as a figure or symbol, the coming of a thief is always bad news, never good news. (Job 24:14, Jer 2:26, Joel 2:9, Mt 24:43-44, Lk 12:39, John 10:1, 2 Pet 3:10, Rev 3:3, Rev 16:15)
Dispensationalism may create a false hope of a second chance for those who put off making a full commitment to Christ. Actually, some dispensationalists believe that the great multitude (Rev 7:9-14) will be made up of people who are saved during the great tribulation. Some believe the great multitude will be those who never had an opportunity to hear the true Gospel until it’s preached to them during the greatest revival of all time that will happen after the rapture. Some believe that after the rapture God will send 144 000 Jewish evangelists, the two miracle-working witnesses, and an angel from heaven to preach the Gospel and a great multitude will be saved. Some believe this, though there is no such precedent of supernatural evangelism anywhere in the Bible.
Another problem with dispensationalism is that it leaves believing Christians unprepared to face hardship and persecution and may set them up for faith-shattering disappointment when they realize the time of trouble has come and they were not raptured.
A NUGGET OF TRUTH.
THE ORIGIN OF THE SECRET RAPTURE DOCTRINE, IT CAME FROM THE PEN OF JESUITS, AND THE BIBLE PROOF THAT THE RAPTURE THEORY IS FALSE.
For almost 300 years after the Council of Trent, Jesuit futurism remained largely within Catholicism, but the plan of the Jesuits was that Protestants would adopt this doctrine. This adoption process actually began in the early 1800s in England, and from there it spread to America.
The story of how this happened is both fascinating and tragic because those who made futurism a mainstream Protestant doctrine were Protestants themselves. The Futurism of Ribera never posed a positive threat to Protestants worldwide for three centuries. It did stop the Reformation in Eastern Europe. However, largely, it was virtually confined to the Roman Church. But earlier in the nineteenth century it sprang forth with vehemence as it latched on to Protestants of the Established Church of England.
👉Origin of the Secret Rapture Doctrine👈
As the doctrine of futurism was spreading across Europe, the much-respected Scottish Presbyterian minister Edward Irving (1792-1834), the acknowledged forerunner of both the Pentecostal and charismatic movements, came onto the scene. Irving pastored the large Chalcedonian Chapel in London with over 1000 members.
When Irving turned to the prophecies, he eventually accepted the one-man Antichrist ideas of Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera. But Irving went a step further. Around 1830, Edward Irving began to teach the unique idea of a two-phase return of Christ, the first phase being a secret rapture prior to the rise of the Antichrist. This is how Protestants themselves worked to undermine the doctrines once held by the Reformers.
The dispensational view of the rapture is unBiblical, and gives those who reject God the false belief that they will have another chance to turn to God after God's people are raptured.
Some Christians believe that Christ will secretly steal away His church before the tribulation. Then after seven years of Antichrist ruling on earth, Christ will return with His saints to reign with them on earth for a thousand years. What does the Bible say about these things?
One of the main verses used to support these ideas include the following:
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
This passage reassures believers that because Christ rose from the dead, resurrection is certain for “the dead in Christ” (vs. 16). It also teaches the order of the “rapture”: the dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain will rise up to meet them in the clouds. So, the living saints will witness the opening of the graves and the resurrection of the sleeping saints. What a privilege it will be to be alive at that time!
However, the passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 presents a problem for those who believe in a secret rapture. Some think that unbelievers won’t know about this snatching away of God’s people, but, according to these verses, there’s nothing secret about it. These verses are not talking about a “secret rapture” at all, but rather about the one and only second coming of Christ when He takes His people home.
The Lord will “shout,” the “voice of the archangel” will be heard, and the trumpet of God will sound. The only way these verses can be made to be a silent event, is to assume something that Scripture does not say here or elsewhere. To assume that only God’s people will hear what the Bible describes as loud and audible is to read something into the verses that isn’t there. Some assume that unbelievers, by some miracle, will not hear these announcements from heaven. This is imposing a view upon the text, making it say something it is not saying. (See also Matt 24:31-32, John 5:28-29, 1 Cor 15:52, Ps 50:3, etc.) According to Scripture, the “secret” part of the rapture does not exist. We must let Scripture interpret Scripture.
📣👉 Another idea is that, at the rapture, Jesus will come “as a thief in the night” and steal His people away. This idea is based on Paul’s words to Christians in Thessalonica.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1 Thess 5:1,2
Does this verse tell us that Jesus will come secretly as a thief to steal away the church? No. Paul is saying that we can know that Christ’s coming is near.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thess 5:3
One of the signs of Christ’s coming would be when people think there’s peace and safety, and then, just as a pregnant woman suddenly goes into labor, there will be no stopping the last-day events (vs. 3). Then he says,
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thess 5:4
In other words, Paul was warning the Thessalonian Christians that they should be alert and ready for Christ’s return. They should not be caught off guard as those who are unaware of the thief’s approach and are overtaken when he comes (vs. 4) and sudden destruction comes upon them (vs. 3).
Another problem with using the “thief in the night” scenario to describe the secret rapture is that those who use this analogy see Christ as the thief. They believe that His coming as a thief is a good thing. The trouble with this is, that nowhere in the Scriptures is a thief used in a positive light. When used as a figure or symbol, the coming of a thief is always bad news, never good news. (Job 24:14, Jer 2:26, Joel 2:9, Mt 24:43-44, Lk 12:39, John 10:1, 2 Pet 3:10, Rev 3:3, Rev 16:15)
Dispensationalism may create a false hope of a second chance for those who put off making a full commitment to Christ. Actually, some dispensationalists believe that the great multitude (Rev 7:9-14) will be made up of people who are saved during the great tribulation. Some believe the great multitude will be those who never had an opportunity to hear the true Gospel until it’s preached to them during the greatest revival of all time that will happen after the rapture. Some believe that after the rapture God will send 144 000 Jewish evangelists, the two miracle-working witnesses, and an angel from heaven to preach the Gospel and a great multitude will be saved. Some believe this, though there is no such precedent of supernatural evangelism anywhere in the Bible.
Another problem with dispensationalism is that it leaves believing Christians unprepared to face hardship and persecution and may set them up for faith-shattering disappointment when they realize the time of trouble has come and they were not raptured.
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