The Rapture: Fact or Fiction Part 2

Just because something is commonly accepted as truth does not make it the truth. In today's church this is certainly the case with the doctrine of the secret Rapture. It is commonly taught and accepted as the truth but is it? Today I will look at the few verses of scripture that are the basis of the doctrine of the Rapture, 1 Thes. 4:16and 17, and 1 Cor. 15:51 and 52. These four verses of scripture are at the very heart of the secret Rapture doctrine and if it can be proven that these verses, when taken in context, mean something completely different, then the truth will become apparent that the Rapture doctrine is a doctrine of devils not that of God. All Rapture teaching I have encountered takes 1 Thes. 4:16-17 out of context. Without understanding the context it is easy to formulate any doctrine and claim it is Biblical. The context of 1 Thes. 4:13-18 is the fate of the DEAD in Christ not that of the living. Yet this passage is invariably taught as concerning the living! It is about the Resurrection of the dead...What verses 16 and 17 teach is the Time (WHEN) and the Place (WHERE) of the Resurrection of all believers whether they are dead or alive. 1 Cor. 15 teaches the HOW of the Resurrection of the believers' bodies. If we can understand that these passages of Scripture teach the fulfillment of God's Promise of Eternal life to all who believe, then it becomes clear that they have nothing whatsoever to do with the fictional event called The Rapture. What 1 Thes. 4 and 1 Cor. 15 really teach is the Gospel of Jesus and expound on the Great Hope of all believers, that of Resurrection, even though our bodies may have died. These chapters provide details on the following aspects of the RESURRECTION of all Believers, Living and Dead:

1. The TIME of the Resurrection - WHEN will it happen?
2. The PLACE of the Resurrection - WHERE will it happen?
3. The PROCESS of the Resurrection - HOW will it happen?

• The Rapture: Fact or Fiction Part 2