SPECIAL TOPIC: RAPTURE (from 1 Thess. 4:17)

Our theological concept of "rapture" originates from the Greek VERB "caught up." "Rapture" is a Latin rendering of the Greek VERB found only in 1 Thess. 4:17 (harpazō – FUTURE PASSIVE INDICATIVE), which implies a forceful "snatching away" (cf. John 6:15; 10:12, 28-29). This event is also mentioned in 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 2 Thess. 2:1.

Many have disagreed about this end-time event. Some (i.e., Dispensationalists) expect a secret rapture of believers (cf. Matt. 24:40-42, which I do not believe is taught in the NT, see my notes online at www.freebiblecommentary.org) before a thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth (see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE MILLENNIUM). Often a seven-year tribulation period (cf. Dan. 7:25; 9:27) is linked to this, but only by implication with the texts in Daniel, where it is not specified.

Some theologians have the rapture before, in the middle, or after this supposed seven year period of tribulation (based on the 70 weeks text in Daniel). The order and nature of these end-time events are ambiguous at best (see Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed., pp. 1197-1199). Dogmatism is surely inappropriate here.

Believers are going to meet the Lord in the air, because

  1. in the NT the air was seen as the realm of Satan (cf. Eph. 2:2) and Greeks thought the lower air (atmosphere) was unclean and, therefore, the domain of unclean spirits. Believers will be reunited with their Lord in the midst of Satan's kingdom to show its complete overthrow.
  2. the VERB "meet" (apantēsin) is used only four times in the NT and each time it denotes "to meet someone for the purpose of accompanying them" (cf. Matt. 25:1,6; Acts 28:15; 1 Thess. 4:17). The implication being that believers will accompany Jesus back to earth, not go with Him to heaven.

1 Thess. 4:17 – "together with them" This church had misunderstood Paul's preaching about the Second Coming. Paul wrote both 1 and 2 Thessalonians to answer these questions. The church wanted to know:

  1. Would the Christians who had died participate in these end-time events?
  2. When would dead and living believers be reunited? This subject is also discussed in 2 Thess. 2:1.

"in the clouds" – Clouds are the traditional means of the transportation of Deity (cf. Dan. 7:13; Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 1:7). The image calls to remembrance the Shekinah cloud of the OT exodus experience (cf. Exod. 13:21,22; 14:19,20,24; 16:10; 19:9,16; 24:15,16,18; 34:5; 40:34-38) which symbolizes God's presence with His people.

SPECIAL TOPIC: COMING ON THE CLOUDS

For a good book on the different ways this text has been understood, see Three Views on the Rapture, several authors, 1996, a later edition in 2010.

For good YouTube videos see Steve Gregg

  1. "When Will The Rapture Be?"
  2. "Revelation 4-5, No Rapture In Sight"


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