Is Left Behind Movie’s Rapture Biblical?

Is the rapture biblical?

If the vote were taken in the pews of evangelical churches this Sunday, I’m guessing the majority vote would be a resounding “yes.”

So to be honest right up front, I’m in the minority, which for many, brands me a heretic. But before you gather wood to burn me at the stake of your judgment, may I explain?

There is a single text in all of scripture that seems to depict the popularized idea of a rapture.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

— 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NRSV)

At face value, this sounds like the Left Behind book series, which has now been made into a major motion picture: rapture movie. Jesus returns on the clouds, the dead in Christ rise and float into the air to meet him, then the still-alive believers are snatched up (raptured) to meet him in the air, and we all leave this old world behind.

At this point, the narrative usually jumps over to 2 Peter 3:7-10 that says the earth has been “reserved for fire” and “the elements are dissolved with fire.” In other words, as we float away, the earth and all who are left on it will be burned to a crisp. And we go somewhere else called Heaven and live happily ever after. And the majority said, “Amen!”

But what if …?

In Paul’s day, the Roman army established rituals of war. When a victory had been secured, the enemy conquered, and the spoils of war captured, the general would orchestrate a triumphal entry to his city of origin – a homecoming parade of sorts. Runners raced ahead of the approaching army and announced the return of the conquering king. The dignitaries of the city would go out to meet the king and march ahead of him on his re-entry into the city. Trumpets would herald the coming. This grand parade became a re-coronation of the victorious king. In the Roman understanding, he was blessed by the gods.

Paul borrows this well-known image of the return of the conquering king to write about the return of Jesus to earth. The question that prompts 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is, “What happens to our deceased brothers and sisters who have died before the return of Christ?” Paul views them as the dignitaries who are raised first and go out to meet King Jesus and usher him back to the earth. Christ descends from heaven because that is where we saw him go when he ascended to the right hand of the throne of God following his resurrection. Then the rest of us join the parade and we are all together again (the dead and the living who are in Christ)—here on earth, which now becomes one with heaven.

The idea of this text is not escaping the earth but celebrating the final victory of Christ as King of all creation, and heaven and earth made one with no veil separating them anymore. God is reclaiming his creation.

·         The Lord’s Prayer gets answered; the kingdom comes, and God’s will is done on earth even as it is done in heaven.

·         Revelation 21:1-6 happens; the New Jerusalem comes down, God makes his home among mortals, and everything is made new.

·         Romans 8:18-25 happens; the earth, which currently groans for redemption, is set free from its bondage to decay and shares in the same glory as our resurrected bodies.

·         Philippians 1:6 happens; God finishes what God started in the resurrection of Jesus.

·         Philippians 2:9-11 happens; Jesus is exalted, every knee bows and every tongue confesses him as Lord – in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

·         Second Peter 3:7-10 happens; fire, the cleansing/revealing power of God, fully reveals evil for what it is and purges the earth of its presence.

·         First Thessalonians 4:13-18 happens; Christ returns victoriously, the dead are raised, and all the people of God are together again.

We “non-rapture” folk may be in the minority, but I really like our understanding of God’s future. In the words of 1 Thessalonians 4:18, I am “encouraged by these words.”

Source:  Dan Boone Blog