The primary passage used as a proof text to promote the Rapture is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, specifically verses 16 and 17. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Paul Benware says, “When Paul was in Thessalonica, he had taught them that one day Jesus would return and suddenly take all believers to heaven. (This event is commonly called the ‘rapture’) He apparently taught them that the rapture could occur at any moment with no events necessarily preceding it.”1
What Mr. Benware is doing is conjecture—a statement, opinion, or conclusion based on inconclusive or incomplete evidence and guesswork. He is not faithfully representing the text of the Bible and what it reveals. Dispensationalists have a habit of impressing their subjective opinion upon the Bible. Paul had taught them no such thing as what Mr. Benware has just suggested. It is believed that Paul was taught of the Lord Jesus Himself for three years (Gal. 1:12, 18). Many Dispensationalists try to pit Jesus and Paul against each other, several claiming that Jesus taught one gospel and Paul another; that they had different theologies. Any careful student of the Bible will see that Paul’s teachings reflect the teachings of Jesus harmoniously. Paul was not given any “new revelation” that Jesus had not already taught. Remember, Jesus and Paul used the same Scriptures—those of the Old Testament. What Dispensationalism teaches is contrary to what Jesus Christ revealed.
“The New Testament nowhere clearly says that the church will be taken out of the world before the tribulation. If this significant event were to happen, we might at least expect that explicit teaching to that effect would be found in the New Testament. Certainly Jesus tells us that he will come again and take us to be with himself (John 14:3), and Paul tells us that we shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17), and that we shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye and receive resurrection bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-52), but each of these passages has been understood by believers throughout history as speaking not of a secret rapture of the church before the tribulation, but of a very visible public rapture (or “taking up”) of the church to be with Christ just a few moments prior to his coming to earth with them to reign during the millennial kingdom (or, on the amillennial view, during the eternal state).”2
Dispensationalists try to mangle 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 into some sort of “secret” coming and taking away of the saints, leaving the rest of the world in a chaotic mess with cars crashing into each other and planes falling out of the sky creating a phenomenal death toll. My Bible says that God is not the author of confusion. Further, as we already looked at, those taken are taken in death. Jesus’ own interpretation of His parable of the weeds informs us that this will happen at the end of this age with His second coming.
“In order to make their case for pretribulationism, dispensationalists must and do separate Paul’s ‘rapture pericope’ (1 Thess. 4:13-18) from the immediately following pericope dealing with the Christian’s behavior as ‘sons of light’ in view of the approaching ‘Day of the Lord’ (1 Thess. 5:1-11). The events of the former pericope, according to dispensationalists, occur seven years before the Day of the Lord, which comes later as a thief in the night. But such a chronological division between the pericopes finds no support in the text. The concern which prompted Paul’s ‘rapture pericope’ (1 Thess. 4:13-18) in the first place was the issue of the state of the Christian dead, a concern troubling the Thessalonian believers. He begins his pericope by stating: ‘We do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep [τωνκοιμωμενων, tōn koimōnmenōn]’ (4:13). Then he treats the Lord’s ‘appearing’ (4:15; την παρουσιαν του κυριου, tēn parousian tou kyriou), a term descriptive of Christ’s second coming (2 Thess. 2:8), stating that Christians will be alive and remain on earth ‘until’ (εις, eis) his ‘appearing,’ and assures them that Christ will raise the Christian dead at that time and that they will accompany the living (glorified) Christians into his presence. He concludes this section by urging his readers to ‘encourage each other with these words’ (4:18). Then with no discernible shift in subject matter, he immediately reminds his readers that ‘the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night’ (5:2) and urges them until that day to live alert and self-controlled lives as ‘children of light.’ He then returns to his original concern and states that Christ ‘died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep [καθευδωμεν, katheudōmen], we may live together with him’ (5:10). He then repeats his earlier admonition that his readers should ‘encourage one another and build each other up’ (5:11). The unity of this entire section (4:13-5:11) is transparent. Because of the several ideas that parallel each other in these two pericopes, there is no scriptural warrant to rend them apart and make them refer to two separate chronological events.“Finally, from Paul’s declaration that ‘relief’ for the church from its troubles and persecutions will come not seven years before but ‘when the Lord Jesus is revealed [εν τη αποκαλυψει, en tē apokalypsei] from heaven with his holy angels with blazing fire’ (2 Thess. 1:7, emphasis supplied), which ‘revelation’ he describes only verses later as the ‘appearing [επιφανεια, epiphaneia] of his coming [παρουσιας, parousias]’ (2 Thess. 2:8), it becomes quite clear that Christ’s coming and the ensuing rapture spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 are neither separate events nor is the rapture a ‘secret, hidden event but a [very visible] breaking into history of the glory of God.’ The Lord’s ‘loud command,’ the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet-blast of God – all announcing Christ’s coming – make this one of the ‘loudest’ pericopes in the Bible! I say again, Christ’s coming and our rapture to him are not separate events nor is the rapture a secret event. It is anything but secret!”3
Please note that Mr. Reymond’s use of the word “rapture” and the Dispensationalist’s use of the word “rapture” are two completely different concepts. Mr. Reymond applies the term to the phrase “caught up,” signifying nothing more than when Christ takes us to be with Him forevermore. If a believer chooses to do that with the word, that is fine, but with all the negative connotations and all the fictionalization that has been attached to it, I would prefer to avoid the word altogether so as not to confuse people into thinking I support the Dispensational nonsense behind it. As soon as we start talking “Rapture,” their minds immediately go to the Dispensational fairytale.
Brothers and sisters, I would like you to notice the parallels here, of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, to other portions of Scripture that are undoubtedly speaking of Christ’s second coming:
Dispensationalists claim that it is absurd to think that, at the end of this present age, we will meet the Lord in the air and then immediately return with Him. I submit to you Genesis 29:13, where Laban “ran to meet” Jacob and then “brought him to his house”; Matthew 25:1-13, where the wise virgins went out “to meet the bridegroom” and then accompanied him back to the wedding banquet; and Acts 28:15, where the Roman Christians came “to meet [Paul and his companions]” as they approached Rome and then returned with them. It is absurd to a Dispensationalist because they do not pay attention to custom and culture. Even in our own day and age, although not as prominent any more, when someone came to visit our home, we would go outside (even to their car) and welcome them, and then accompany them back inside our house. That is precisely what will take place at Jesus’ bodily, visible, public return. It will be a glorious event! We will be caught up in the air to greet and welcome Him, and then we will accompany Him back.
To show you that I am not out of my mind by suggesting this: “When Paul says that ‘we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air’ (1 Thess. 4:17), he uses the Greek word apantēsis, for “meet,” which is used in Greek literature outside the Bible to speak of citizens going out of a city to meet an arriving magistrate, then to return to the city with him.”5 So, brothers and sisters, which view is truly consistent with the truths of Scripture?
1 Paul N. Benware, Survey of the New Testament, 168.
2 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1134.
3 Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 1023-1024.
4 John Egerdahl, The Bible Versus Dispensational Eschatology, 166.
5 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1134. Footnote 42.
What Mr. Benware is doing is conjecture—a statement, opinion, or conclusion based on inconclusive or incomplete evidence and guesswork. He is not faithfully representing the text of the Bible and what it reveals. Dispensationalists have a habit of impressing their subjective opinion upon the Bible. Paul had taught them no such thing as what Mr. Benware has just suggested. It is believed that Paul was taught of the Lord Jesus Himself for three years (Gal. 1:12, 18). Many Dispensationalists try to pit Jesus and Paul against each other, several claiming that Jesus taught one gospel and Paul another; that they had different theologies. Any careful student of the Bible will see that Paul’s teachings reflect the teachings of Jesus harmoniously. Paul was not given any “new revelation” that Jesus had not already taught. Remember, Jesus and Paul used the same Scriptures—those of the Old Testament. What Dispensationalism teaches is contrary to what Jesus Christ revealed.
“The New Testament nowhere clearly says that the church will be taken out of the world before the tribulation. If this significant event were to happen, we might at least expect that explicit teaching to that effect would be found in the New Testament. Certainly Jesus tells us that he will come again and take us to be with himself (John 14:3), and Paul tells us that we shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17), and that we shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye and receive resurrection bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-52), but each of these passages has been understood by believers throughout history as speaking not of a secret rapture of the church before the tribulation, but of a very visible public rapture (or “taking up”) of the church to be with Christ just a few moments prior to his coming to earth with them to reign during the millennial kingdom (or, on the amillennial view, during the eternal state).”2
Dispensationalists try to mangle 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 into some sort of “secret” coming and taking away of the saints, leaving the rest of the world in a chaotic mess with cars crashing into each other and planes falling out of the sky creating a phenomenal death toll. My Bible says that God is not the author of confusion. Further, as we already looked at, those taken are taken in death. Jesus’ own interpretation of His parable of the weeds informs us that this will happen at the end of this age with His second coming.
“In order to make their case for pretribulationism, dispensationalists must and do separate Paul’s ‘rapture pericope’ (1 Thess. 4:13-18) from the immediately following pericope dealing with the Christian’s behavior as ‘sons of light’ in view of the approaching ‘Day of the Lord’ (1 Thess. 5:1-11). The events of the former pericope, according to dispensationalists, occur seven years before the Day of the Lord, which comes later as a thief in the night. But such a chronological division between the pericopes finds no support in the text. The concern which prompted Paul’s ‘rapture pericope’ (1 Thess. 4:13-18) in the first place was the issue of the state of the Christian dead, a concern troubling the Thessalonian believers. He begins his pericope by stating: ‘We do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep [τωνκοιμωμενων, tōn koimōnmenōn]’ (4:13). Then he treats the Lord’s ‘appearing’ (4:15; την παρουσιαν του κυριου, tēn parousian tou kyriou), a term descriptive of Christ’s second coming (2 Thess. 2:8), stating that Christians will be alive and remain on earth ‘until’ (εις, eis) his ‘appearing,’ and assures them that Christ will raise the Christian dead at that time and that they will accompany the living (glorified) Christians into his presence. He concludes this section by urging his readers to ‘encourage each other with these words’ (4:18). Then with no discernible shift in subject matter, he immediately reminds his readers that ‘the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night’ (5:2) and urges them until that day to live alert and self-controlled lives as ‘children of light.’ He then returns to his original concern and states that Christ ‘died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep [καθευδωμεν, katheudōmen], we may live together with him’ (5:10). He then repeats his earlier admonition that his readers should ‘encourage one another and build each other up’ (5:11). The unity of this entire section (4:13-5:11) is transparent. Because of the several ideas that parallel each other in these two pericopes, there is no scriptural warrant to rend them apart and make them refer to two separate chronological events.“Finally, from Paul’s declaration that ‘relief’ for the church from its troubles and persecutions will come not seven years before but ‘when the Lord Jesus is revealed [εν τη αποκαλυψει, en tē apokalypsei] from heaven with his holy angels with blazing fire’ (2 Thess. 1:7, emphasis supplied), which ‘revelation’ he describes only verses later as the ‘appearing [επιφανεια, epiphaneia] of his coming [παρουσιας, parousias]’ (2 Thess. 2:8), it becomes quite clear that Christ’s coming and the ensuing rapture spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 are neither separate events nor is the rapture a ‘secret, hidden event but a [very visible] breaking into history of the glory of God.’ The Lord’s ‘loud command,’ the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet-blast of God – all announcing Christ’s coming – make this one of the ‘loudest’ pericopes in the Bible! I say again, Christ’s coming and our rapture to him are not separate events nor is the rapture a secret event. It is anything but secret!”3
Please note that Mr. Reymond’s use of the word “rapture” and the Dispensationalist’s use of the word “rapture” are two completely different concepts. Mr. Reymond applies the term to the phrase “caught up,” signifying nothing more than when Christ takes us to be with Him forevermore. If a believer chooses to do that with the word, that is fine, but with all the negative connotations and all the fictionalization that has been attached to it, I would prefer to avoid the word altogether so as not to confuse people into thinking I support the Dispensational nonsense behind it. As soon as we start talking “Rapture,” their minds immediately go to the Dispensational fairytale.
Brothers and sisters, I would like you to notice the parallels here, of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, to other portions of Scripture that are undoubtedly speaking of Christ’s second coming:
Dispensationalism tends to confuse Jesus’ second coming with their “Rapture.” It is Jesus’ second coming that has no signs necessarily preceding it, as supported by Scripture (Matt. 24:36-51; 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-40; 17:26-30; 1 Thess. 5:2-4; 2 Pet. 3:8-10; Rev. 16:15). The Scriptures declare that Jesus will return personally (John 14:3; 21:20-23; Acts 1:11; 3:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:23-26; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; Heb. 9:27-28; James 5:7-8; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 John 2:28; 3:2-3), publicly, bodily and visibly (Matt. 24:30-31; Luke 21:27; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 14-15; Rev. 1:7), unexpectedly (Matt. 24:27, 36-51; 25:1-13; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 17:24, 26-30; 2 Pet. 3:8-10), suddenly (Matt. 24:23-28; Luke 17:22-24; 21:34-36; Acts 1:11), quickly (Matt. 24:27; Heb. 10:37; Rev. 22:7, 12, 20) with His angels (Matt. 16:27; 2 Thess. 1:5-10), in the glory of His Father (Matt. 16:27; 19:28; 25:31-46; Luke 21:27; Titus 2:13), and triumphantly (Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27).
Clouds Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Acts 1:9; 1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 1:7; 14:14 Trumpet Matt. 24:31; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 11:15 Angels Matt. 13:39, 41, 49; 16:27; 24:31; Mark 8:28; 13:27; Luke 9:26; 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Thess. 1:7 Loud Noise Matt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Pet. 3:10 Thief Matt. 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; 16:15 Day of the Lord Isa. 1:12; Amos 5:18; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Peter 3: 10-13 Resurrection Job 14:12, 14; 19:25-27; Isa. 25:8; Hosea 13:14; Matt. 24:31; John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:24; 1 Cor. 15:51-52, 54-55; 1 Thess. 4:164
Dispensationalists claim that it is absurd to think that, at the end of this present age, we will meet the Lord in the air and then immediately return with Him. I submit to you Genesis 29:13, where Laban “ran to meet” Jacob and then “brought him to his house”; Matthew 25:1-13, where the wise virgins went out “to meet the bridegroom” and then accompanied him back to the wedding banquet; and Acts 28:15, where the Roman Christians came “to meet [Paul and his companions]” as they approached Rome and then returned with them. It is absurd to a Dispensationalist because they do not pay attention to custom and culture. Even in our own day and age, although not as prominent any more, when someone came to visit our home, we would go outside (even to their car) and welcome them, and then accompany them back inside our house. That is precisely what will take place at Jesus’ bodily, visible, public return. It will be a glorious event! We will be caught up in the air to greet and welcome Him, and then we will accompany Him back.
To show you that I am not out of my mind by suggesting this: “When Paul says that ‘we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air’ (1 Thess. 4:17), he uses the Greek word apantēsis, for “meet,” which is used in Greek literature outside the Bible to speak of citizens going out of a city to meet an arriving magistrate, then to return to the city with him.”5 So, brothers and sisters, which view is truly consistent with the truths of Scripture?
1 Paul N. Benware, Survey of the New Testament, 168.
2 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1134.
3 Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 1023-1024.
4 John Egerdahl, The Bible Versus Dispensational Eschatology, 166.
5 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1134. Footnote 42.