THE RAPTURE: One of the favorite “truths” found within the various sects of professing Christendom concerns what is known as “the rapture.” Of late much has been spoken and written about a secret “snatching away” of those in the ___________ church (fill in the blank) who are to be secretly taken up to heaven before the Great Tribulation occurs. Though the religious sects that comprise “the church” differ in a variety of ways, the one thing most professing Christians agree on is that the Lord will take them and their fellow ______________ church members up to heaven in one miraculous act, leaving the world’s non_________________ citizens wondering what has happened. According to the theory, chaos will take place when people simply disappear, leaving behind their clothing, food-filled plates, driverless cars, teacherless classes, etc. as “the great exit” occurs right before the eyes of billions of stunned onlookers. Sermons have been preached, books have been written and movies have been made relative to the momentous event that grows closer with each passing moment–or so we have been and are being told. THE important question relative to the theory involves the truth of the story. Is “what everyone knows” Biblically true? This study will answer that question.

The “Bible Truth” that billions have embraced for hundreds of years has an interesting history. The theory was the brainchild of a young woman named Margaret McDonald who, in the early 1800’s, saw in a vision all ________________ church members suddenly began to rise into the air to where the Lord was waiting, thereby saving them from the ravages of the Great Tribulation that the Holy Scriptures describes in graphic detail.

Following the “vision from on high,” Margaret told her priest what she had experienced. Knowing a good pew-filling point when he heard one, the priest began preaching her “voice from on high” message from the pulpit as “Bible truth.” Before long the vision had become “thus saith the Lord” and began to spread rapidly throughout the Catholic religion. Not to be outdone, the Protestant churches embraced the wonderful, newly-revealed “truth” which quickly spread throughout Europe, then to the new world–the United States of America.

Knowing that any Bible Truth had to have a Bible reference in order to be accepted, there was found a Biblical passage that “proved” the “rapture” to be “of God.” At that point all doubt evaporated. We will now engage in an examination of that Biblical passage that supposedly proves “beyond a shadow of a doubt” that those in the ________________ church are going to be taken from the earth alive and escorted through the pearly gates of a heavenly paradise in the near future as we are being told on a daily basis. By using an out-of-date technique called “Bible study” we will determine if what is proclaimed to be undeniable “proof” of a “rapture” is truly Scriptural, or if it is nothing more than wishful-thinking-turned-Bible-fact by a Satan-inspired counterfeit church system.

This study will reveal why the Lord’s Bible study formula found in Isaiah 28:9-13–which I refer to as “fine print” studies–is absolutely essential if one is to understand God’s Word as He intends for it to be embraced. It is this type of study that separates church sheep from church goats, church wheat from church tares–God’s true church from Satan’s counterfeit church. Read what Jesus said about these deadly church differences in Matthew 7:13–27. As He tells us in Matthew 22:14, many have been called to distinguish the real from the counterfeit, but few have answered the call. Many, He prophesied, would choose the wide (come as you are) gate into His church and walk the broad (stay as you are) path to the light in the distance which is believed to be the light of the world (Jesus Christ), but is in fact the fires of hell.

But before we explore those deadly differences we will see what the Apostle Paul wrote to parishioners in the church at Thessalonica about the false teachings being proclaimed throughout the church world then and now, as well as those who are involved the spreading of those teachings and their followers. Paul describes these unwitting though religious souls as those who: “perish because they refuse to receive the love of the Truth (God’s Word–Jn. 17:17) so that they might be saved. And for this cause God has sent to them STRONG DELUSION so that they will believe a lie and be damned because they reject the Truth and take pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 9-12). Note that these delusional people are church members who, like all believers, including myself, are not yet saved and will not be saved until the return of Jesus Christ. Read Born Again. Key word–Born.

The passage of Scripture used throughout professing Christendom to “prove” the rapture theory is First Thessalonians 4:13-18 where Paul is comforting those who had doubts about a future life. He explains an event that has been interpreted to mean what it does not mean due to a lack of “fine print” study and a rejection of those who STUDY God’s Word and desire to share their findings with them.The reason I am going into detail in this study is because the Great Tribulation is indeed coming, and soon. And when rapturists find themselves in the midst of hell on earth–meaning that there has been no rapture–they will mistake the antichrist for the promised Messiah and will follow him, believing that he will solve all of the problems in which they find themselves. This will involve billions of believers. Let us begin this very important study with verse 14 where the first misunderstanding takes place. Here Paul asserts that Christ did indeed rise from the dead and did indeed ascend into heaven. The first error involves His supposed raising of the righteous Old Testament dead and taking them with Him to heaven. The misunderstanding comes from Paul’s statement that Jesus will “bring with Him” (to earth when He returns from heaven) those who sleep in Him.” This statement will be explained later in the study.

I will go into detail in this teaching because billions have gone to their deaths believing what billions now believe about a future “rapture” combined with the belief that Jesus took the righteous dead to heaven when He ascended following His resurrection. Because of a lack of “fine print” study which God commands (2 Tim. 2:15), billions will die expecting to be taken to heaven following their final breath. Others will enter into the Great Tribulation expecting to be immediately raptured. Biblical facts: (1) JESUS DID NOT TAKE THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD WITH HIM WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN FOLLOWING HIS RESURRECTION. (2) THE RIGHTEOUS WHO DIED SINCE HIS RESURRECTION DID NOT ENTER HEAVEN UPON THEIR PASSING. L.J.