|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Etymology"Rapture" is a word of Latin origin, not Hebrew or Greek, the languages of the Bible. Its Greek equivalent is harpazo, which is found in the Greek text of 1 Thes. 4:17. When translated into English, both words mean "to be caught up, or snatched away." Harpazo, the word Paul actually used, comes from roots that mean, "to raise from the ground", "take for oneself" or, simply, "to choose" (haireomai), all of which are akin to airo, "to raise up." HistoryThe origins of the doctrine of the rapture are hotly debated. The Orthodox, mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic churches, which represent the majority of Christians worldwide, have no tradition of such a teaching and reject the doctrine, in part because they cannot find any reference to it among any of the early Church fathers [1] and in part because they do not interpret the scriptures the way that Rapture-believers do. Two early Church fathers from the first century, Clement and Polycarp, made statements that may appear to be a reference to the rapture. [2] There was a manuscript, The Shepherd of Hermas, dated to the second century, that is perhaps the oldest known reference to a great tribulation to come and a possible escape from it. This text includes a series of visions that appeared to the shepherd. The first vision was of a giant raging bull, and the Shepherd was able to escape harm from it by relying on God for protection. The next vision encountered was that of a beautiful maiden, identified by the shepherd as the church. She identifies the bull as the great tribulation to come, and tells him he escaped it by putting his trust in God. She then charges him to go tell all other believers they can also escape the coming tribulation but only if they also put full faith in the Lord[citation needed]. This interpretation, however, is not accepted by scholars[citation needed], as it is clearly taking the visions out of context. The "escape" of the "beautiful maiden" does not refer to a rapture, or being taken out of the tribulation, but it refers to going through the tribulation and yet coming out victorious from it by faith in the Lord.[3] Some pre-Tribulation proponents maintain that the earliest known extra-Biblical reference to the "pre-Tribulation" rapture is from a sermon falsely attributed to the fourth-century Church Father Ephrem the Syrian, which says "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."[4][5] However, the interpretation of this writing, as supporting pre-Tribulation rapture, is debated.[6][7] There exists at least one 18th century and two 19th century pre-Tribulation references, in a book published in 1788, in the writings of a Catholic priest Emmanuel Lacunza [8] in 1812, and by John Darby himself in 1827.[9] However, both the book published in 1788 and the writings of Lacunza have opposing views regarding their interpretations, as well. The rise in belief in the "pre-Tribulation" rapture is sometimes attributed to a 15-year old Scottish-Irish girl named Margaret MacDonald (a follower of Edward Irving), who in 1830 had a vision that was later [10]published in 1861. The popularization of the term is associated with teaching of John Nelson Darby, prominent among the Plymouth Brethren, and the rise of premillennialism and dispensationalism in English-speaking Churches at the end of the 19th century. In 1908, the doctrine of the rapture was further popularized by an evangelist named William Eugene Blackstone, whose book, Jesus Is Coming, sold more than one million copies[11]. The following year, 1909, the Scofield Reference Bible, which teaches the pre-Tribulation rapture, was published; by 1930 it had sold 1 million copies, and as of 2007 has sold 5 million copies.[12] In 1957, Dr. John Walvoord, a theologian at Dallas Theological Seminary, authored a book, "The Rapture Question," that gave theological support to the pre-Tribulation rapture; this book eventually sold over 65,000 copies. In 1958, J. Dwight Pentecost authored another book supporting the pre-Tribulation rapture, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, that sold 215,000 copies. During the 1970s, the rapture became popular in wider circles, in part due to the books of Hal Lindsey, including The Late Great Planet Earth, which has reportedly sold between 15 million to 35 million copies.[13] Lindsey proclaimed that the rapture was imminent, an idea which he based on world conditions at the time. The Cold War and the European Economic Community figured prominently in his predictions of impending Armageddon. Other aspects of 1970s global politics were seen as having been predicted in the Bible. Lindsey suggested, for example, that the seven-headed beast with ten horns, cited in Revelation, was the European Economic Community, a forebear of the European Union, which at the time aspired to ten nations; it now has 27 member states. In 1995, the doctrine of the pre-Tribulation rapture was further popularized by Tim LaHaye's book series, Left Behind, which sold tens of millions of copies and was made into several movies. The doctrine of the rapture continues to be an important component in fundamentalist Christian eschatology today. Many Christians continue to feel that world conditions point to the rapture, Tribulation, and return of Christ occurring soon. Scriptural basis
Image:Rapturetattoo.jpg Image of person ascending to Heaven. The Greek word is pronounced "harpazo", which means "caught up". Supporters of the doctrine of the rapture generally cite the following primary sources[14] in the New Testament (the following are quoted from the NRSV):
Four major views on the timing of the raptureOne of the tenets of the dispensationalist interpretation of bible prophecy is that in the prophecy of 70 weeks from the book of Daniel (Daniel 9:27), between the 69th and 70th weeks there is a break, lasting an unspecified period of time. Thus, the 70th week of seven years has not yet occurred. This seven-year period will mark the end of the current dispensation, and is referred to as the Tribulation. There is considerable debate (see rapture debate) among Christians who believe in the rapture in regard to the timing of the rapture relative to the Tribulation. Most views hold that Christian believers will be either removed from, or protected from the judgement of God's wrath. Pre-TribulationThe pre-Tribulation rapture, or "Pre-Trib", is the view that the rapture will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation period. According to this view, the Christian Church that existed prior to that seven-year period has no vital role during the seven years of Tribulation, and will be therefore be removed. Those people who accept Christ after the Rapture will be martyred for their faith during the Tribulation. Saint John the Divine, which some believe is apostle John is seen in Revelation 4:1 as representing the Church caught up to Heaven. John hears the Trumpet and a voice that says, "Come up hither", and he is translated in the Spirit to Heaven and then sees what will happen for those left on earth. The pre-Tribulation rapture is the most widely held position among American evangelical Christians. It has become popular in recent years around the world and through the work of dispensational preachers such as Tim LaHaye, Jack Van Impe and Hal Lindsey. [15] Imminent or not imminent?The vast majority of those who believe in a pre tribulation rapture, believe that the rapture is imminent, that is to say, that nothing else needs to happen first, before the rapture. However, some others allege that certain warning signs must first take place, even before the pre-Tribulation rapture. The following is a list of these events:
Mid-TribulationA minority view, with few proponents today, is that the rapture happens half-way through the seven-year Tribulation. This view is supported by the 7th chapter of Daniel, where it says the saints will be given over to tribulation for "time, times, and half a time" which is interpreted to mean 3.5 years. That is, half way through the seven years of the tribulation. At this juncture, the Antichrist commits the "abomination of desolation" by desecrating the Jerusalem temple (to be built on what is now called The Temple Mount.) [16] Prewrath raptureThe prewrath rapture view is that the tribulation of the church begins towards the latter part of the seven-year period, being Daniel's 70th week, when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple. The great Tribulation, according to this view, is of the Antichrist against the church at this time. The duration of this tribulation is unknown, except that it begins and ends during the second half of Daniel's 70th week. According to Jesus (in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21), this tribulation will be cut short by the second coming of Christ to deliver the righteous by means of rapture, which will occur after the sixth seal is opened and the moon is turned to blood. All these events occur just before God's wrath of trumpets and bowls (a.k.a. "the Day of the Lord") begins, hence the term prewrath. [17] The Day of the Lord's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven years. [18] Post-TribulationThe other main view is termed the post-Tribulation rapture (or "Post-Trib"). This view admits the concept of "rapture" from 1 Thessalonians, and sees the rapture occurring at the end of the seven-year tribulation period. This viewpoint is that Christian believers will be on earth as witnesses to Christ during the entire seven years, until the last day of this age. Post-Tribbers question the "Yo-Yo Therory" which describes the coming of Christ in the clouds for the rapture and then coming back again for the second coming. The Post-Tribulation view represents one all incompassing, grand event. Also, the bible describes The Tribulation Period as Satan's reign. God's Wrath is described as what comes at the end of the seven years, The Battle of Armegeddon. The post-Tribulation view is supported by Matthew 24:29–31 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days...they shall gather together his elect...". This is how the end times are described by Pat Robertson in his 1995 novel The End of the Age. Another account which lends support to the idea of a post-Tribulation rapture is in the specific prayer of Jesus that the Father not take us from the earth, but that he (the Father) would nevertheless "keep them from the evil one." This precludes a pre-Trib or a mid-Trib Rapture to heaven at any time. [19] Date settingGenerally, believers in the rapture do not make predictions about the specific timing of the rapture, but believe it to be imminent, as did the Apostle Paul when he penned 1 Thessalonians 4. Scripture professes, no man will know the day or hour, but we will know the time and season. Various sects that have attempted to set dates for this event have done so to their embarrassment when the event does not take place. The website Rapture Ready offers a detailed list of these failed date settings.[1]. A more extensive list is available from A Brief History of the Apocalypse. Some notable predictions include these:
The rapture in the English-speaking media
While some of these views may have been popular for many years beforehand, there is no doubt that these movies and novels have influenced some people's thinking on the "rapture". Many rapture fiction novels demonstrate a different understanding of the gospel and the Christian life than that taught within the historic "orthodoxy" of evangelical Protestantism. This issue is explored in Rapture Fiction and the Evangelical Crisis by Crawford Gribben, 2006, ISBN 0-85234-610-7. See also
References
|
Sites |
Searched sites for "Rapture" |
|
No sites found. |
Sorry, no matching site records were found. |
Want your site listed here?
|
||||||||||||
