I recently watched
the movie “Left Behind” which is the latest installment of Christian evangelism
and eschatological genre about the end of the world. The main point of this
cinematic drama is when Christians around the world suddenly disappear after a
loud noise is heard, leaving behind their clothes and other personal
belongings. Of course, all babies are gone, too. There are reports of pilotless
planes, automobiles, and other vehicles crashing all around as well as looting,
wide scale panic, and so on. This a basic snapshot that the film centers on as
far as what is expected to happen according to the traditional interpretation
of 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17, which most evangelical and charismatic believing
Christians subscribe to. Since this passage is the foundation of such a
viewpoint it should be reviewed in some detail. Several things are worth
noting: 1) The LORD comes down from heaven and issues a loud command/voice of
an archangel/trump of God (v. 16); dead believers in Christ will arise from
their graves first (v. 16); those who are alive/still living will be caught up together [“raptured”] with
them [the formerly dead saints who believed in Christ and are resurrected and
transformed] in the clouds to meet the LORD [Jesus Christ] in the sky (v. 17).
Now, with all that
information it is time to incorporate other biblical texts into this scenario.
In 1 Thessalonians 4: 14 it states that God will bring with Jesus those who
have fallen asleep in Him, which seems to be different from what is mentioned
in verse 16. Also, in Philippians 1: 23 the Apostle Paul wrote about departing
(dying) and being with the LORD, or putting it another way, being absent from
the body is to be at home with Christ. Jesus, Luke 23: 42-42, tells the
believing thief who hung next to Him on a cross that the person would be with
Him in paradise today. Another rendering which seems the more plausible is that
the thief was told today that he would be with Jesus in paradise (in the
future). Either the person who dies believing in Jesus as the Savior/Messiah
goes to be with the LORD in death or are still in the grave [ashes to ashes and
dust to dust], or they are not; it cannot be both. Perhaps I am digressing a
bit but one could ask about the Jewish patriarchs who died before they even
heard about Jesus, or believed or understood about the coming Messiah who would
redeem them from sin, not from the yoke of a foreign (pagan) nation’s occupation
army.
Getting back to the
subject at hand, let’s look at 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12 where the Apostle Paul
picks up this point again, but I want to look at a few critical verses here,
too: the day [the LORD’s return/ “Rapture”] WILL NOT COME until the rebellion
comes, and the Man of lawlessness/rebellion/sin be revealed (v. 3); the Man
will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God, or is
worshipped [as God] (v. 4); he sets himself up in God’s temple,
proclaiming himself to be God (v. 4).
NOTE: Is the temple in existence today?
I guess it will be restored again by the time of the end, though. Also, in that
same Thessalonian epistle it says that the mystery of iniquity was already
at work then, so it has taken over two thousand years before it finally
reaches completion? Additionally, for such a person to be a God impersonator
requires some kind of seemingly miracle working power, which fits nicely with
the rest of the chapter as well as in the book of Revelation chapter 13 or 19.
Another point, just
as important, is that there might not be that many Christians raptured to meet
Jesus in the air simply because only a small percentage are actually all that faithful
anyway, although they may be very religious and zealous in church attendance,
tithing, singing in the choir, and doing acts of benevolence or Christian
service or ministry. A lot of us may simply be convinced that Jesus is the
Savior but we have not been converted nor had a “real” and personal
relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Luke 13: 22-24 mentions about “few”
that will be saved. I am not sure how many Christians will be absent from
unmanned transportation vehicles or critical systems that will result in some
kind of apocalyptic nightmare scenario of death and destruction.
There might
not be a whole lot of us viewing the earth in flames from of pristine vantage
point in the clouds, with our newly clothed immortal body and presumably
invisible to the naked eye of those left behind. Revelation 7: 9, 11, 13-14
says that a number so large it cannot be counted will be those who come out of
the “Great Tribulation” and not the expected large number of believers in Jesus
who are redeemed from the planet before all hell breaks loose. Oh, as a passing
thought, why would God snatch infants from the loving arms of their mothers,
leaving to inconsolable grief over the loss? Anyway, to sum it all up it seems
that the expectations of the future eagerly Rapture is more imaginative and
dramatic Sci-fi based on a literal interpretation of certain Bible verses,
which seems to stretch the boundary of rational coherent thought and
philosophical as well as intellectual inquiry.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
March 21, 2015
