Should We Be "Enraptured" with The Rapture? Part 3: Wider Trends in New Testament Eschatology
Some thoughts on how the New Testament as a whole should inform our approach to "end times" theologies...
Prior posts in this series introduced the problem of proof-texting in support of the idea of a pre-Tribulation rapture of Christians. The first post provided a basic overview and analysis of some key passages from the Gospels. The second post reviewed often cited passages from Paul and Revelation. In this post I will offer some comments on "wider trends" in how the New Testament authors speak about the return of Jesus, and how these trends do not at all mention anything like the rapture system that is so popular in American evangelicalism.
One effective way of testing the validity of a given belief is to weigh it against the wider witness of scripture. The principle here is that theological ideas that directly contradict the general tendencies in the Bible should be rejected. If our reading of a given text produces an idea that is contradictory to scripture as a whole, then it is most likely our reading of the text that is in error.
The so-called "rapture texts" must be read in light of the general picture of eschatology (the "end times") that we find in the Bible, specifically the New Testament. This should occur before concluding that said texts teach a particular theology such as the rapture. What follows is a general (and far from exhaustive) summary of how the New Testament describes the return of Jesus:
Jesus’s Sudden Arrival
The return of Jesus will suddenly occur at a time that is unexpected. Its timing cannot be calculated by reading the Bible or current events. This suddenness prompts the challenge for believers to live in a manner that they will not be caught off guard should his return occur in their lifetimes.
Supporting Texts: Matthew 24:36-44; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:35-40; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 5:1-8; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; etc.
Jesus’s Visible Return
Jesus' return will not be a secret or purely spiritual event. It will be visible and obvious to the entire world. It will not involve a secret rapture of believers.
Supporting Texts: Matt. 24:27-31; Mark 13:26-27; 1 Thess.4:13-17; Rev. 1:7; Rev. 6:12-17; etc.
A Bodily Resurrection for All
The return of Jesus brings the bodily resurrection of all believers. This includes believers who are still alive at the time of his return, whose bodies are transformed (which assumes that "the church" will not be removed from the earth for a prior prior to his return). Our final goal is not heaven removed from earth, but heaven and earth united.
Supporting Texts: 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:14-17; Col. 3:2-4; etc.
An Immediate Eternal Judgment
There is no temporal distance between the return of Jesus, the bodily resurrection, and the final judgment. There is especially no sense of a double return or of Jesus issuing a judgment on the part of believers prior to a period of extended earthly trial.
Supporting Texts: Matt. 25:31-46; Luke 12:41-48; 2 Thess. 1:6-11; 1 John 2:28; Rev. 6:12-17; Rev. 22:12; etc.
These recurring trends simply do not allow for the idea of a spiritual rapture and removal of the faithful to heaven as a distinct event separated in time from the return of Jesus. If the theology of the rapture is as important as its supporters suggest, then we must conclude that the New Testament contains a substantial amount of texts about the "end times" that are either purposefully or unintentionally silent about a supposedly major component of the faith. Alternatively, the general thrust of New Testament eschatology suggests that those texts that supposedly teach a pre-tribulation rapture need to be re-read (as I have addressed above & elsewhere).
In the final post of this series, I will wrap up by asking Where is Hope for the Christian? If the idea of a pre-Tribulation rapture cannot be found in the scriptures, then where does our hope lie, and how ought that to impact our lives? Stay tuned.