The Rapture
David Eldridge
Many
people believe in the rapture. As
premillennialists, they see the rapture as being a silent coming of the Lord
and all those who are righteous (dead and alive) are going to mysteriously
disappear from the earth leaving behind the unholy. These ideas have been spread lately by the Left
Behind series of books and videos.
Does the Bible say anything about this kind of rapture? Let’s ask some questions.
How many resurrections will there
be? The premillennialist
believes that when Jesus returns there will be a resurrection of the righteous
dead (the rapture) followed by a second resurrection at a later time. However, Jesus Himself said, “Do not
marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will
hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection
of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation”
(John 5:28-29). Jesus says there will be
a general (one time) resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous. In Acts 24:15 Paul stated, “...there will
be a (note the singularity—DCE) resurrection of the dead, both of
the just and the unjust.” If there
is going to be one resurrection of the dead followed later by another, the Son
of God and the apostle Paul knew nothing of it.
A quiet coming
of the Lord? The rapture
doctrine says the coming of the Lord will be silent and those left behind will
not know what has transpired. However, I
Corinthians
Where will those “left behind”
stay? The premillennialist
believes after the rapture, tribulation will begin here on the earth for those
left behind. How? In II Peter