October 18, 2021 – Click here to listen
I got an interesting letter the other day from a longtime reader. The gist is as follows:
“There is no rapture . . . Darby and Scofield have it wrong . . . I am in good company . . . the list is long so I will be brief . . . others that follow my belief include Matthew Henry, John Gill, Charles Spurgeon, Alfred Barnes, Adam Clarke, Martin Luther, etc. The spirit of this world has corrupted the word of God.”
I didn’t research all of the belief systems of everyone mentioned; however, I did look at a few of them to see what they had to say about it. Matthew Henry did believe in the rapture according to what I read; Spurgeon said he was not an eschatology, (return of Jesus), expert and didn’t write too much about this subject.
After a few minutes, I stopped researching what these guys thought or said and instead decided to research the Bible. I admire those people, but I serve infallible God and not fallible men. Now those who would try to distort the very words emanating from the Bible might argue as my friend did that “the spirit of the world has corrupted the word of God” or that the inerrancy of the Bible only pertains to the New Testament but the Bible defines it for us in 2 Timothy 3:16. In this letter, the apostle Paul states that “all scripture is inspired and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” In plain English, the Bible is God’s authoritative instruction for the church.
Bottom line: The Bible is the full authority.
So what does the Bible say about the rapture?
I Thessalonians 4:13: But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
I Corinthians 15:51 is similar in content: Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
So what is important here? Must you believe in the rapture and the millennial reign of Christ on earth to be saved? Well, if you’re asking whether Christians ought to believe in the rapture or have to believe in it in order to be saved, the answer is no. Despite everything that can be said in its favor, the doctrine of the rapture cannot be considered one of the indispensable essentials of the Christians faith. When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?” they replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” The same was true with one of those dudes being crucified on the cross with Jesus.
The important thing to me and hopefully you is what we use as a basis for our faith. In this world full of deception and lies which is fashionably referred to as spin we end up not being able to distinguish truth from lies on practically any subject. The Bible has been attacked since its inception and is truth. You might not be able to understand every jot or tittle, especially those passages that deal with complex imagery and prophecy, but you can trust the Bible for your salvation and eternal destiny and for getting through this difficult life knowing peace, joy, and love.
So many people I talk to are one denomination or another because that is what their parents, and in some cases several generations of their family as far as they can trace believed. It reminds me of those, mainly southern Democrats, who vote Democrat because that is what their dear old pappy did. What if your parents were wrong? Put your trust in the Bible and you cannot go wrong. Psalm 119:160 sums it up nicely: Thy word is true from the beginning: And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. How can you know what the Bible says? READ IT! Don’t rely on your pappy, your gut instinct, others including me. Your eternal existence is determined by your relationship to God almighty. You will kneel before Him at judgment – ALONE. Pappy won’t be there.
The Bible has withstood the attempts of kings, dictators, scientists, and entire societies to abolish it and yet it still remains the top-selling book of all time. Its words contain a hope not found in any other religious writing and has transformed the lives of millions. Other world religions claim loyal adherence, but the glue that holds most of their faithful is fear, intimidation, or human effort. The Bible promises what no other book does, it offers life, hope, and purpose as a free gift from Almighty God. Its words have transformed murderers, tyrants, and nations because the Bible resonates as truth in the deepest part of the human soul. The Bible may be rejected, hated, or ignored, but its impact on those who heed it cannot be discounted. I am one who can certainly vouch for that.
I urge you to read the Bible and study it daily. I begin each day seven days per week studying it and I never tire of it and credit God’s word for any success I enjoy. I don’t even consider in the slightest what my family believes or society, or anyone or anything aside from God. I choose to believe the Bible and whichever individual church preaches the Word, as I have read and understand it, is where I will attend. If the pastor twists it or takes it out of context to appease those who defy God’s laws or other reasons, I run from it.
Matthew 7:24
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”