"There's No Rapture" -- Say What!?!

It's been awhile since we published a Rapture related post on this blog (has it been a year already?), which means we're long overdue.

A few days ago, we recorded a special broadcast of Look Up Fellowship Media titled 'Biblical Realities For The Near Future' and spent the entire first hour clearly outlining why Christians need to study end times Bible prophecy and take it seriously.

The impetus for such a special report was due to the fact there still remains a significant portion of people within the Body of Christ who don't give eschatology a single thought even though Jesus Christ's Second Coming is written about almost twice as much as His First, and even though roughly a third of the entire Bible is prophetic in nature.

Of course, these are the only reasons why Christians need to be familiar with what God's Word has to say about the future, but they are the two that always immediately come to mind.

I thought about all of that today when I caught wind of a pretty well-known Christian Apologist who indirectly revealed to the world that he simply hasn't studied Bible prophecy as evidenced by his recent comments regarding the Rapture.

Now, this was no mere disagreement over its timing, but a flat out admission that he believes that there is no such thing as the Rapture! I'll defer to Alan Kurschner who recently documented this incident for us on his Biblical Prophecy blog.

"There’s No Rapture" — Greg Koukl

Gregory Koukl is a Christian apologist, radio talk show host, and founder of Stand To Reason, a solid apologetics ministry that I recommend. At 43:45 into his radio program on 4-2-12, a caller called into this show who apparently switched from being pretrib to posttrib (and supposedly Koukl is posttrib as well). The caller mentioned the point that pretribs reject the posttrib position namely because pretribs believe that Matthew 24 is for Jews, not the church (the caller is correct). There was silence on the other end for a moment, then Koukl said he has never heard of such an argument from pretribulationists. At this point, I was like, “what? you’re kidding me.” Anyone remotely familiar with the debate between pretrib and posttribs (and prewrath) understand that this is one of the most significant issues in the debate. So I was thinking that perhaps Koukl has just never actually studied the debate. Then the next thing he said only confirmed for me that eschatology is certainly something he has not studied, at least on the rapture issue. He said:

There’s no rapture.

He followed this up with saying that Paul only teaches a resurrection not a rapture. At this point, I wondered how he could get around 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which explicitly mentions the rapture: “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:17). I kept on listening for him to mention this verse, and listened, and listened. Koukl repeatedly mentioned “1 Thessalonians 4″ but never this verse. After a couple more comments he finished with his caller and cut to commercial.

I want to make a few comments.

This is not the first time I have heard seasoned Christians assert, “There is no mention of a rapture in the Bible.” Honestly, I do not know how Koukl can miss it. But others who have made this assertion do so for the purpose of getting as far away from pretribulationism as possible, as if: the rapture = pretribulationism. In doing so they unfortunately throw out the baby (the rapture) with the bathwater (pretribulationism).

There are two biblical reasons the Bible teaches a rapture, an explicit and implicit reason. First the explicit, as I cited above:

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:17).

What part of “will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” does Mr. Koukl not understand? You do not have to know Greek to see what the English is clearly saying: We are caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Certainly this is not missing from Koukl’s Bible.

The implicit reason for the rapture is shown in three passages that teach when Christ returns he will then bring us to heaven before the Father’s presence. It logically follows we must be raptured from the earth before we are brought before the presence of the Father:

“Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, (14) knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.” –2 Cor 4:13-14

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” –John 14:2-3

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” (14) I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.” –Rev 7:13-15

One final point, it sounded as if Koukl was saying if you believe in the resurrection you cannot believe in the rapture, or vice versa. What he fails to see is that Paul teaches the resurrection will happen first, then both groups, the alive in Christ and the dead in Christ will be caught up (raptured) together at the same time (1 Thess 4:15–17).

Kurschner's absolutely right to call out Mr. Koukl's ignorance on this subject. I just pray that he receives the message somehow, appreciates it (2 Timothy 3:16), and that the Lord opens his mind to the truth.

The fact that there is a literal Rapture event is certainly Biblical even if its actual timing is regularly open to debate and discussion.

Continue to encourage the brethren in your life who ignore Bible prophecy to reconsider their stance on the subject and pray for the Lord to give them a desire to watch for His return.

Keep looking up!

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