The Doctrine of the Rapture is an Unbiblical and Debilitating Lie
Introduction
A few months ago, I asked some of my Christian friends what they thought the end of the world would look like. They responded by seriously and matter-of-factly delving into all the possible and hypothetical ways the earth could explode, or be stricken with disease and war. To this day, I’m not certain if they were joking or not, but it brought up a very serious question: how do our beliefs and perceptions concerning the end of the world–in this case, the complete removal of sin and the renewal of God’s original creation–change how we act in the day to day?
Your view on ‘the end’ will determine to a great degree what actions you will take. For example, an atheist who believes there is nothing after death will only do things that please him. After all, you only live once. However, some rather humanistic views on this subject have been accepted within the Church, especially in the last 100 years. Specifically, the doctrine of the Rapture is an unbiblical and debilitating lie with heavy consequences that can be seen in our world today.
The ‘Rapture’ isn’t just about Christians being beamed up into heaven during the reign of the Antichrist; it is a lie that the devil has used to infest the Church with the idea that we will ultimately come to ruin and that we have a wimpy God who is not victorious. This eschatological view is detrimental to ourselves, our fellow men, and the Kingdom of God; it hinders our ability to work effectively for God’s Kingdom. If we were on a swimming team, trained by the best coach in the world, equipped with the tools for assured victory, but we believed that we were on the losing side, don’t you think that would hinder our ability to compete effectively? Moreover, we not only believed we were on the losing side, but we gave up before the race even began, even though we were guaranteed victory. By essentially excusing ourselves from our duty as God’s disciples, and saying, “Hey, we’ve got no chance against these guys(the enemy),” We’re not only forfeiting responsibility in God’s Kingdom, but we’re calling Jesus a liar by saying He doesn’t mean what He says when He proclaimed, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” Not Satan’s, not the Antichrist’s; the earth is the Lord’s. But this is precisely what followers of dispensational premillennialism believe. This is one of the more popular schools of thought regarding eschatology, the study of the “last things.” This version—dispensational premillennialism—teaches that certain prophetic events are on the horizon, that a ‘rapture’ of the Church precedes a seven-year period that includes the rise of an Antichrist and a Great Tribulation.
A ‘Hell’ of an Issue (see what I did there?)
Premillennialism is one of three views on the final return of Christ, the other two being, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. All three views are regarding the ‘millennium’, a period of prosperity in God’s kingdom, with premillennialism and amillennialism being more pessimistic, and postmillennialism being optimistic. Amillennialism sides with premillennialism in that this period of prosperity will only be spiritual and that the spread of the gospel will fail to reach all corners of the world. Postmillennialism is optimistic, with the prosperity of God’s kingdom being not only spiritual, but also physical, with human health increasing, and material prosperity being visible. Premillennialism holds to a literal interpretation of Revelation, and there are two predominant views: Historical and dispensational premillennialism. Both have differing views on the timing of the Rapture. Historical premillennialists are post-tribulation in that they believe the Rapture is after the 7-year tribulation heralded by the ‘Antichrist’. Dispensational premillennialists believe that the Rapture is before this 7-year tribulation, saving all Christians from oncoming suffering. Most modern premillennialists are of the latter belief system. However, both are faulty as they hold to similar understandings of the Rapture itself.
One of the first issues with Rapture doctrine is this: according to dispensationalists, the Rapture is when Jesus will return ‘secretly’ and beam all Christians up into heaven before the nasty tribulations that will soon follow and prevail for seven long years, during which the Antichrist will rule and the remaining people will be subjected to immense pain(and some will convert to Christianity along the way).
The multi-volume Left Behind series made by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins led many to believe that certain prophetic events were setting the stage for the ‘Rapture’ that would most likely occur during their lifetime. But dispensational theology says there are no signs to indicate that the Rapture is near. This has not stopped LaHaye and many others from teaching there are signs. However, while dispensationalists will talk about a signless prophetic interlude before the Rapture, they also fill their books with what they insist are signs that confirm that the Rapture is near. John Walvoord, a dispensational author and professor, wrote “The Lord could come at any moment and there are no necessary intervening events” He penned this two years after he wrote a book outlining a series of events and signs that would precede the Rapture. A belief in an impending and signless Rapture did not stop Walvoord from making a handsome living writing books describing a vast amount of intervening events (signs of the Rapture).
Here’s what Oswald Allis has to say on this: ‘One of the clearest indications that Dispensationalists do not believe that the rapture is really “without a sign, without a time note, and unrelated to other prophetic events” is the fact that they cannot write a book on prophecy without devoting a considerable amount of space to “signs” that this event must be very near at hand. These signs may be wars, famines, pestilences, the political situation—they may even include tanks and airplanes…Dispensationalists should recognize that the attempt to prove by signs and events that the “signless” and unheralded any moment rapture must be near at hand really amounts to a surrender of the any moment principle.’
Not only are there contradictions about the timing of the Rapture, but the consequences of believing the doctrine of the Rapture are dangerous. The prevailing theme in premillennialism(from which the Rapture comes), is pessimism, with the gospel failing to fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. This is an issue, not only because Christians fail, but it means God failed. This in and of itself is a preposterous view, and yet this is the essence of premillennialism, and the Rapture by extension. The reason for this is the emphasis falls on the prince of darkness rather than the Light of the world. It doesn’t matter who the individual is; if their overarching view is one of pessimism, it will leak into their everyday life and affect their actions and legacy. All power and authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus, and he promised to bless and grow His Kingdom through His people. However, if we place all our emphasis and thoughts on the enemy’s powers instead of Christ, don’t you think our actions will be affected accordingly?
When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they abdicated their responsibility to God. Likewise, a removal of responsibility is at the core of the idea of the Rapture. Why bother preaching the gospel and making disciples of the nations if everything is for naught? The clock is ticking, and when it hits 12 o’clock, the Antichrist will arrive. On top of that, we will be secretly Raptured to safety before tribulation strikes! There’s just too little time remaining to change anything for the better. At the heart of this is sensationalism. If you look at the media, you will find no shortage of articles meant to excite and provoke fear and anxiety. People who regularly engage with content of this nature want thrills and chills. Christians who believe we are drawing close to the last days are continually trying to identify the arrival of the Antichrist and the Rapture, and they have been repeatedly sold these lies, decade after decade.
Gary North put it this way: “This game of ‘find the Beast and identify the Antichrist’ has become the adult Christian’s version of the child’s game pin the tail on the donkey. Every few years, the participants place blindfolds over their eyes, turn around six times, and march toward the wall.” Christians have become persuaded that forces beyond God’s control are about to overwhelm all remaining traces of righteousness. Fear paralyzes people if they see no escape, or if their hoped-for escape is utterly beyond their control. It’s because of this paralysis that we have a lack of godly men and women taking up responsibility in music, art, film, and other industries throughout the world. A lack of responsibility to God and willingness to do what it takes no matter the earthly cost has resulted in worldly and evil men taking over what we as Christians ought to be the best in.
The Solution
With a view on pessimism and the ultimate failure of the gospel mandate (ergo, God fails), how can we resolve the conflict within the Church and truly make a change for the better? There are three major components we must fulfill as Kingdom-oriented Christians: (1) we must have a vision, an ultimate goal which is given to us by God and passed down to future generations (2), faith–trust–in God that He will fulfill His promises and bring His plans to fruition. This means He does not fail, nor can we by extension since we are part of His army and He works through us, and (3) we must be intentional with our implementation of God’s commandments and Will.
I believe all three of these requirements are met by the third and final eschatological belief–there is premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism.
Greg Bahnsen describes this view well, “Postmillennialism is set apart from the other two schools of thought by its essential optimism for the kingdom in the present age. This confident attitude toward the power of Christ’s kingdom, the power of its gospel, the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, the power of prayer, and the progress of the great commission, sets postmillennialism apart from the essential pessimism of amillennialism and premillennialism.”
Postmillennialists by nature have a vision, which premillennialists do not have since they believe God’s plans will ultimately fail. The vision is generational in nature. Abraham was given a vision, a goal by God, to fill the earth with His glory. So too, did the early Church. In ancient Europe, it was not uncommon for cathedrals to be built, but taking on such a massive project takes someone to plan it (Jesus), and people He hires to build it (the Church) and a generational mission that is passed on to the people after us. If the vision is not passed on, then each generation would have to start from scratch. Many of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe took well over 100 years to build. If the mission was not passed on, the new generation of builders would have to start from scratch. How then would the church be built?
A postmillennialist will look at history and at the future with optimism, and hope, and leave a vision for his children to take up after him. Continuing with the cathedral analogy, if you don’t have faith in the one who made the blueprint for the architectural aspects of the cathedral, that he knew how to formulate a blueprint effectively, how could you know the cathedral would be built effectively? A lack of faith in God’s plans and the effective advancement of them in His Kingdom has led to many of His hired hands going off to make their own plans in accordance with how they think the cathedral should be built. By robbing the architect of the respect and trust owed to Him, we are undermining His authority. This is precisely what dispensational premillennialists do. They won’t admit to this; they would get offended by such a statement. However, this is exactly what Rapture fever produces: a lack of faith in God by replacing Him with a focus on the prince of darkness.
Last, but not least, we must be intentional. Having a vision and faith that it will be completed is all well and good, but how will the plan be fulfilled if we aren’t intentionally taking action to fulfill it? This is the essence of the gospel mandate: intentionally(purposefully) spread the gospel throughout the nations and make disciples. How can the cathedral be built if we do not actively take up the roles God has given us? This means not only taking up His work in our lives but also passing on the legacy to our children and those after us.
God has always been about generational transfer. A fear of God and love for Him is what prompted Abraham and his descendants to pass on a godly legacy, regardless of their imperfections. A fear of the ‘Antichrist’ and Satan minimizes the effectiveness of generational work because a fear of imminent doom destroys any generational thinking. The only immediate concern is the here and now because the Rapture could come at any moment. Nuclear war could strike. Political disaster is looming over society. With such a view of pessimism, it’s hard to concentrate on our Kingdom work. Unless it is God who builds the house, the builders labour in vain. At its core, premillennialism sets aside God in exchange for a focus on the enemy. This results in a loss of responsibility and progress within the Church.
We can only reach our full effectiveness as God’s Kingdom builders when we have a vision, faith in the Creator of that vision, and are intentional about fulfilling it. Throughout these three objectives, the overarching attitude is optimism. Jesus proclaimed the victory and success of His Kingdom with the parable of the mustard seed. The seed doesn’t stagnate in growth or be uprooted by the enemy. It grows until it’s the biggest tree in the field. Similarly, with the dream King Nebuchadnezzar had in Daniel 2, the rock that is God’s Kingdom does not diminish; it grows and fills the whole earth! How can we not be optimistic when we have been guaranteed victory?
Closing remarks
With a view of pessimism swarming throughout many areas in the modern Church, you can see how easy it would be for someone to give up hope and forsake their God-given calling in life. Why polish brass on a sinking ship? However, it’s easy to lose sight of the mission to spread the gospel throughout the world when we’re beset with worry over our current tribulations, whether it’s a squabble with a loved one, financial distress, or a war between countries.
Premillennialism takes the idea of tribulation and suffering and blows it out of proportion, essentially creating a storm in a teapot. The Christians in the early Church faced far more immediate distress from enemies than we do in our modern lives. They faced death in the worst imaginable ways, and yet the early Church did not tremble and dwindle but instead grew all the more because of it. Jesus’ frequent rebuke of, “O’ ye of little faith!” is an apt remark for the modern Church. It is a loss of faith in Christ (who is victorious now, and in the future), and a drop in responsibility that has aggravated the debilitating lie that God is not victorious. Without the view that God has, and will prevail, we cannot overcome anything.
The early Church had more optimism in the middle of intense persecution than many parts of our modern Church since they knew, believed and acted on the basis that God was and is victorious. With such a view, it’s not impossible to imagine how they were able to stare down the Roman emperors’ threats of death with courage.
Without a view of hope for the spread of the gospel and the glory of God’s kingdom, we will be debilitated and unable to function as disciples of Christ in the areas He has gifted us. When the Church abdicates responsibility, the enemy will most certainly pick it up. That is the result of irresponsibility within the Church. It did not start with you and me, but you’d better be certain that as the years go on, the onus will be on us and the generations following to pick up the ball and run forward with Christ to victory. Christ calls us not to worry, or be anxious, and what is the opposite of this? Optimism for the Church, the kingdom of God, that all will be as he says when he declares in Psalm 22:27, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.”