A seductive teaching.

As a result, millions of Christians have fallen for a new and seductive teaching. These millions fervently want to believe that some day¾and some day soon¾they will be removed, alive, from the surface of planet Earth and taken away from their earthly problems and responsibilities. What then will happen to those “left behind?” Supposedly, they will suffer unbelievable havoc and horrors over a 7-year period of tribulation. Sadly, this is the predominant view in conservative, evangelical Christianity. And it has becoming more entrenched and well-known as the phenomenal success of the Left Behind craze spread. But make no mistake, ideas and beliefs do have consequences. In this case, they are highly negative.

First, this new theory of a “Rapture” is an affront to Jesus’ prayer for all believers that they and we would not be removed from the world (John 17:15, 20). It’s also a disgrace to the great God and his Christ whom we claim to follow because of its highly fabricated and severely flawed system of interpretation that requires abuses and the mishandling of Scripture to support this scenario.

Secondly, what we believe affects what we do, or don’t do, and who we are. How sad it is today to see so many of God’s people making so much of “the Rapture” as a means of escaping tribulation, and hoping, trusting, and pleading for God to take them out of this world just when they are most needed. Several generations of Christians have already been and are being diverted. Facts are that the modern doctrine of “the Rapture” has produced a withdrawal and abandonment mentality and is in opposition to Christ’s prayer for all believers and other teachings as well. Jesus prayed for God to keep his people in the world to carry on his work, not take them out of it. He wants us here working to expand his kingdom and to think long-term about the future of human existence on this planet. But a longing for escape thwarts this purpose and produces too many lazy Christians, who too easily retreat from society and passively wait for Jesus to come back, take them out, and finish the job. They have no hope of things ever getting better until they get much worse. In essence, they have given up on this world, abandoned their calling to be salt and light, and drawn away from involvement. They reason, “Why bother?” because they think this world is about to end and “the Rapture” is very near. Like it or not, it’s the prevailing Rapture mentality, and it’s a natural response. But as we’ve seen, it is also a relatively new theory in Church history.

Rightly teaching God’s Word is an awesome responsibility. Therefore, just to discredit this new teaching by scripturally refuting what it’s not, is not enough. We must also discover what verses used to insinuate this “Rapture” truly were about and prove what they mean for us today and in the future.

Sources:

1 Shattering the ‘Left Behind’ Delusion by John Noe (out-of-print)

2 Unraveling the End by John Noe

3 End Times Fiction by Gary DeMar

4 Last Days Madness by Gary DeMar

5 The Rapture Plot by Dave MacPherson

6 Rapture Fever by Gary North