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32 Hope of Israel Mail Bag

COMMENT: Thank you for your interesting letter. I Yeshua will be in two stages -- first, the RAPTURE
must, however, disagree regarding the Rapture. The Rap- (his coming for the saints), and then later the
ture theory was born in 1830 when a young Scottish girl by REVELATION (his coming with the saints). The in-
the name of Margaret Macdonald had a private revelation terval between these two events, the so-called great
in Port Glasgow, Scotland, that a select group of Chris- tribulation period, is commonly regarded as seven
tians would be caught up to meet the Messiah in the air be- years. Verses like Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh
fore the days of the so-called Antichrist. with clouds; and every eye shall see him,” are applied
to the REVELATION -- his coming in power and
Margaret had been ill and bedridden for a year and a half glory. The RAPTURE, on the other hand, is presented
before her revelation, and had plenty of time to read and as a quiet, invisible, and secret coming.
ponder the Scriptures. She apparently noticed that some-
thing happens after Matthew 24:40’s “taken” and after II In all respect to those who believe this way, this is a
Thessalonians 2:7’s “taken.” Putting the two passages to- strange doctrine indeed! The very text on which the
gether, she reasoned that only after the rapture -- when catching up (or rapture) is based implies just the oppo-
some would be left on earth -- would the “Antichrist” be site! “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
revealed. According to her “logic” some could literally be with a SHOUT, with the VOICE of the archangel, and
taken out of the way (via the rapture) while others could be with the TRUMP of God: and the dead in Christ shall
left on earth for something less desirable. rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the
Evidently no one in the 18 centuries prior to Margaret had Lord in the air” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
ever taken these two “takens,” tied them together, and in-
troduced this radically new doctrine which many have This text indicates anything but a quiet, secret rapture.
fallen for in the years since. As well as the sound of the Messiah himself descend-
ing from heaven with a SHOUT, the VOICE of the
One can search the Bible from one end to the other and archangel, and the TRUMPET of God, there will be
never find the word “rapture.” The word itself is from the the sounds of praise and rejoicing from vast multi-
Latin rapere, the same word from which “rape” comes tudes of saints as they are caught up to meet the Mes-
from, and it means to seize, to take away. A far more ap- siah!
propriate expression would be to simply say what the Bi-
ble says: that believers will be “caught up” to meet Yeshua The Bible plainly says “The Lord himself shall de-
in the air. Unfortunately, the word “rapture” is now in scend from heaven with a shout.” To read “invisible”
common use and is applied to the catching up of believers or “quiet” into this scene is nothing less than twisting
to meet the Messiah at his coming. the scriptures. If Paul was trying to describe a secret
event, he certainly chose the wrong words!
The issue in question is not the word “rapture.” The doc-
trine of the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah, which In fact, Yeshua warned against the idea of secrecy in
has been the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) of the true connection with his second coming: “If any man shall
Church of God over the centuries, is not the issue. That be- say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it
lievers will actually be caught up to meet the Messiah in not....If they shall say unto you...behold, he is in the
the air is not the issue. The real issue before us is whether SECRET chamber; believe it not. For as the lightning
this catching up (or rapture) is a separate and earlier event cometh out of the east, and shineth unto the west, so
from the coming of Yeshua. shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew
24:23-27).
Christians who hold what is called the “dispensational” in-
terpretation of prophecy, teach that the second coming of

The Berean Voice September-October 2002