What else might God have had in mind?

Since there is no direct or explicit teaching to support Christ coming for the Church and taking it to heaven, the Rapture-removal doctrine grows out of deductive reasoning [inference] and goes something like this: Since sin and death exist in the material world, God must snatch his saints out of it, destroy it, then create a new and sinless world. Forget about God loving the world enough to give his only begotten Son for it (John 3:16-17). Forget about Jesus’ prayer for all believers that we would not be removed from the world. Those Scriptures, according to the Rapture doctrine, are not to be taken literally; but the ones about a catching up and snatching away are to be taken literally.

Perhaps you have wondered why so many Christians risk so much on their novel idea of a Rapture-removal from planet Earth—versus staying here, living, reigning and overcoming with Christ as we’ve been commanded to do. God’s Word gives example after example and promise after promise, not of “rapturing” his people out of their tribulation, but to see them through it.

Many have also wondered why God would be prophetically obliged to rescue a “church” from the world’s mess that the church’s neglect and impotency is largely responsible for allowing. Within this past century, the church in America has lost much of its long-range vision and its unique position, moral influence, and leadership in our society. Pessimism and fatalism now prevail in many of its ranks. While we have been awaiting the “Rapture,” Satan and his cohorts have been stealing our children, our schools, and almost all of our culture.

It’s far past time for us to wake up! The idea of a one-time, future, physical removal of believers from planet Earth is a major factor in this decline. It’s also a new theory in Church history and does not reflect the terminology or teachings of the Bible. It’s a false hope and a destructive teaching. The biblical truth is, God has chosen to leave his people and his Church in the world for good reasons. But it’s easy to see why the idea of a great escape is so deceptively appealing:

1. Many Christians are afraid of dying and will grasp at any hope of avoiding a trip through a dirt grave to reach heaven. We’ll spend more money trying to stay alive than we’ve ever given to the Lord.
2. This world is an evil place that is beating up on us, and the idea of a Rapture offers the easiest and quickest way out.
3. It offers a most-convenient excuse to avoid our scripturally mandated responsibilities here on earth in this life and to thereby sooth our guilt conscious.

So what else might God have had in mind? As we shall see, next, it was something far different and far greater.

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