The Role of Rapture Teaching in Discipleship

Philippe R. Sterling
Pastor
Vista Ridge Bible Fellowship
Lewisville, Texas

I. INTRODUCTION

I first became aware of Biblical prophecy and teaching on the Rapture as a freshman at Virginia Tech in the fall of 1972. I was not yet a believer. A friend invited me to a showing of The Return narrated by Hal Lindsey. It was one of the steps that God used toward my eventual belief in the promise of Jesus for eternal life.

After becoming a believer in February of 1973, the teaching of prophecy anchored on the hope of the Rapture contributed to my spiritual growth. That year, in addition to the Bible, I read The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey.¹ I was motivated to prepare myself spiritually for an imminent Rapture and to encourage others to believe in Christ for eternal life.

Many believers have testified to the importance of the Rapture in their personal living:

• John Nelson Darby: “Christ will come again, and we wait for Him. This is the abiding thought in every instructed Christian, whatever degree of light he may have as to details. He expects Christ, so that, morally, the fashion of this world is closed for him: the object of his hope is elsewhere.”²
• Lewis Sperry Chafer: “The truth of the imminent coming of Christ for His church is a very practical truth…As presented in the New Testament, the rapture is a comforting hope (John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:18), a purifying hope (1 John 3:1-3), and a blessed or happy expectation (Titus 2:13).”³
• Charles C. Ryrie: “The rapture is the hope of the church…Therefore every day until we die or are raptured, we should continually be purifying our lives (1 John 3:3), be abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58), and be loving His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).”⁴
• Renald Showers: “The fact that the glorified, holy Son of God could step through the door of heaven at any moment is intended by God to be the most pressing incessant motivation for holy living and aggressive ministry (including missions, evangelism, and Bible teaching) and the greatest cure for lethargy and apathy. It should make a major difference in every Christian’s values, actions, priorities, and goals.”⁵
• Robert N. Wilkin: “Victory in the Christian life is possible. Not only that, God expects us to be victorious. But, and this is vitally important, victory is not automatic. It takes effort. In light of all that the world, the flesh, and the devil throw at us, it is quite a challenge to keep looking to Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him. Live by faith in Him and His soon return. In this way, God will transform your life and make you an overcomer who will one day hear, ‘Well done good servant’…”⁶

II. EXPLANATION OF TWO KEY CONCEPTS

Many NT passages explicitly or implicitly reference the Rapture. Before we survey them we need to explain two key concepts: imminency and the two phases of the Second Coming of Christ.

A. Imminency

Imminency refers to an event that is about to take place. Louis Barbieri explains, “Imminency is not date-setting, it is not a chronological concept, and it does not mean soon. But a prophetic event which is imminent is one which is overhanging, certain to occur but uncertain as to time, and not dependent upon any intervening events.”⁷

The Rapture is an imminent event for believers of the church age. Darby comments, “As to the time of the rapture, no one, of course, knows it…When is the Christian to expect the Lord? I answer, ‘Always.’”⁸

B. Two-Phased Second Coming

The Rapture can be understood as the first phase of two phases of the Second Coming of Christ.⁹ In the first phase, He comes in the air for believers of the church age (1 Thess 4:15-17). In the second phase, He comes to the earth with them (Zech 14:3-9; Acts 1:11; Jude 14; Rev 1:7; 19:7-16). In between is the time of wrath, the Tribulation.

The Rapture is the removal of living believers from the earth to meet Christ in the air. The primary passage that explicitly presents the truth of the Rapture is 1 Thess 4:13-18. The Greek word translated “caught up” in 4:17 is harpazo. The Latin translation uses the word rapturo from which comes the English word rapture. The word in this context means to snatch or take away.

First Corinthians 15:51-54 describes the transformation that will occur. The dead in Christ will be raised imperishable and living believers will put on imperishability and immortality. The entire process will take place in an indivisible moment of time.

The Tribulation is the last week of the seventy weeks of Daniel (Dan 9:24-27). It is a period of seven years of wrath that precedes the return of Christ to the earth.

III. SURVEY OF RAPTURE TEACHING IN THE NT

When we combine the concept of imminency and the two-phase return of Christ, first for the church in the air at the Rapture and then with the church to the earth at the end of the Tribulation, we find a host of passages in the NT that speak to the practical value of Rapture teaching in discipleship. S. Lewis Johnson discusses the practical value of the return of Christ in both of its phases:

I am not going to distinguish between the rapture and the Second Advent for purposes of our study because they logically go together. Both of these events represent the hope of the Christian. The hope of the Christian is not only to meet the Lord in the air. The hope of the Christian is to then after the tribulation period to accompany him to the earth. The hope of the Christian involves the kingdom of God upon the earth, for we shall rule and reign with him. The hope of the Christian involves all of the future, and we are very, very closely identified with the hope that the nation Israel has. So we’re just going to talk about the second coming, and you’ll understand that these attitudes and the motivation and incentive are true of both of these events.¹⁰

A. Teaching of Jesus

1. The Olivet Discourse

John Hart and Wes Spradley make a good case that Matt 24:36-44 is a reference to the Rapture in the Olivet Discourse.¹¹ There are three parallel Gospel accounts of the discourse: Matthew 24–25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The account in Matthew divides into three sections which involve questions (24:1-3), answers (24:4-44), and applications 24:45–25:46.

In the first section, Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple (24:2). The prediction brings up two questions: “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

In the second section, Jesus answers the two questions in reverse order. The answer to the “what” question involves a summary of the Day of the Lord with its preliminary events (vv 4-14) and a focus on the Great Tribulation—the final 3½ years of the Day of the Lord (vv 15-35).

The answer to the “when” question involves a declaration that no one knows when the Day of the Lord begins, but before it begins some will be taken to be alongside (paralambanō) the Lord while others will be left for the judgments that follow (vv 36-41). Believers don’t know when their Lord is coming and therefore should be on the alert and prepared for His coming (vv 42-44). The Rapture is the imminent event that precedes the beginning of the Day of the Lord.

The third section makes application to church age and Tribulation period believers through the Lord’s teaching about accountability, two parables, and His comments about coming judgment.¹² In the account of the Just and the Unjust Servant (24:45-51), we learn that believers of the church age need to remain watchful and faithful for the imminent coming of Christ at the Rapture.¹³ The Parable of the Ten Virgins (25:1-13) primarily applies to Tribulation period believers who need to be both watchful and prepared for the Lord’s return to the earth. The Parable of the Talents (25:14-30) could apply to both church-age believers and Tribulation believers concerning their accountability and evaluation for authority in the kingdom. The Judgment of the Sheep and Goats (25:31-46) deals with the evaluation of surviving Gentile believers and unbelievers at the end of the Tribulation period. It is likely that only prepared believers survive to the end of the Tribulation.

2. The Upper Room Discourse

Jesus presents a message of hope and comfort to His troubled disciples in John 14:1-3. To dispel their gloom and strengthen their hope He exhorts them to believe in God and in Him. He is departing to prepare a place for them and He will come to take them to be with Him. The verb “come” is likely a futuristic present that points to the imminency and certainty of the event. Believers find comfort that the Lord will come for them and take them to be with Him.

B. Teaching of Paul

1. First Corinthians

Paul thanks God for the grace given to the Corinthian believers so that they were not lacking in any gift. He notes that they were eagerly awaiting the revelation (apokalupsis) of the Lord Jesus Christ (1:7). He closes the letter with the expression Maranatha, “O Lord, come” (16:22).

Paul provides an extended defense of the bodily resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Distinct groups are resurrected at different times (15:23-25). Paul explains what will happen to believers of the church age who have not died at the time of the resurrection (15:50-57).¹⁴ First the dead in Christ will receive resurrection bodies and then those who are living will be transformed. The expectation of the Lord’s coming and of the resurrection motivate believers to steadfastness and faithfulness (1 Cor 15:58). This hope motivates our service.

2. Philippians

Philippians 3:20-21 is an overlooked Rapture passage. We eagerly wait for a Savior from heaven who will transform our bodies.¹⁵ We will receive a glorified body, like that of Christ, at the Rapture. Our present humble bodies will be transformed into the glorious state of Christ. This hope encourages us to stand firm in the Lord (4:1).

Paul uses the imminence of the Lord’s return in Phil 4:4-5 to exhort believers to joy and reasonableness in relationships. The phrase, “The Lord is near” looks to the Rapture.

3. Colossians

Colossians 3:3-4 deals with the matter of our present identification with Christ and our future revelation with Him. We have died with Christ and our lives are hidden with Him. When Christ is revealed (phaneroō) to us at the Rapture, we will also be revealed with Him in glory. We are to look forward to His return for us. We are to live today with the expectation of Christ’s return.

4. First Thessalonians

Paul uses the expectation of the Lord’s return for believers at the Rapture as a means of comfort to those grieving the loss of loved ones (1 Thess 4:13-18). This can be a comfort to believers today who have believing loved ones who have died. Charles Ryrie gives an exposition of 1 Thess 4:13-18 by describing five aspects of the Rapture:¹⁶

1. Jesus’ Return—Jesus will come for believers. There will be a shout. The trumpet of God will summon the dead in Christ to their resurrection and living believers to their transformation.
2. Resurrection—Believers in Christ who have died will first be resurrected.
3. Rapture—Living believers will then be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
4. Reunion—Translated believers will be reunited with resurrected believers and with the Lord.
5. Reassurance—Paul tells us to “comfort one another with these words.” The hope of the Rapture encourages us with the knowledge that departed believers will be raised and living believers will be changed when the Lord comes.

Paul goes on to base his encouragement to believers to encourage each other and build up each other on the fact that whether or not they are spiritually watchful they will be delivered from wrath, the Tribulation, by the Lord at the Rapture to live together with Him (1 Thess 5:9-11).¹⁷ This is in keeping with his statement in 1:9-10 that the Thessalonians had “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven…who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

The coming of the Lord Jesus also provides an incentive to brotherly love (3:12-13). The Thessalonians will be Paul’s glory and joy at the coming of the Lord (2:19-20). Paul prays that they might be blameless at the coming of the Lord (5:23).

5. Second Thessalonians

Second Thessalonians 2:3 may be a reference to the Rapture.¹⁸ The Greek word apostasia can have the meaning of “departure” rather than “defection.” Paul eases the fear of the believers in Thessalonica concerning the Day of the Lord by pointing out that the departure to be with Christ will occur first. This is in keeping with the immediate context where Paul is addressing the matter of “the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to Him” (2:1).

The presence of the Holy Spirit with the church on earth actually keeps the man of lawlessness from being revealed (2 Thess 2:6-7). Paul thus comforts the believers. Believers should eagerly await the appearing of Christ, not the appearing of the man of lawlessness.

6. Pastoral Epistles

Paul charges Timothy “to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing (epiphanea) of our Lord Jesus Christ,” which God will bring about at the proper time (1 Tim 6:14-15). The goal is obedience until the appearing of Christ for believers at the Rapture.

The appearance of Christ is the basis for Paul’s solemn charge to Timothy to preach the Word, using it to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with great patience and diligence (2 Tim 4:1-2). The Lord will award a crown of righteousness to all who have labored faithfully and loved His appearing (2 Tim 4:8).

Paul makes a direct relationship to godly living and looking for the coming of the Lord in Titus 2:11-14. The grace of God instructs believers “to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

C. Teaching of Hebrews

Christ mediates the New Covenant so that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance at His appearing if they eagerly await Him (9:15-28). The segment opens with “the promise of the eternal inheritance” in 9:15 and closes with Christ appearing a second time for salvation to those who eagerly wait for Him in 9:28. In the context of Hebrews, this is a salvation in which faithful believers enter God’s rest and share in Christ’s dominion.

Hebrews 10:22-25 gives three “let us” commands: let us draw near in faith; let us hold fast our hope; let us spur one another to love. We are to carry out these commands all the more as we “see the day drawing near.” What day is that? This is a reference to the Second Coming, of which the first phase is the Rapture.

S. Lewis Johnson comments:

One of the great incentives of the meeting of believers is that the day of the Second Advent is approaching, and so in light of the soon coming of Jesus Christ, we are to give ourselves to meeting together to strengthen one another for the tasks that lie before us in the meantime, so that the Second Coming is first of all an incentive to Christian worship.¹⁹

D. Teaching of James

James uses the imminent coming (parousia) of the Lord as the basis for his exhortation for patience (5:7-8). A particular aspect of patience is expressed by not complaining against each other since “the Judge is standing right at the door” (5:9). Expectation of the coming of the Lord contributes to harmony among believers.

E. Teaching of Peter

1. First Peter

Peter writes to encourage believers who are undergoing persecution. They have a living hope (1:3). That hope fixes itself on the appearance, or revelation (apokalupsis), of Jesus Christ (1:7, 13). The term describes the coming of Christ for them. Such a hope motivates readiness for action and sobriety.

Peter turns his attention from believers in general to the elders in 5:1-4. They are to do their work voluntarily, eagerly, and exemplarily. Peter couples the exhortation with the motivation of the appearance of Christ who will reward their work.

2. Second Peter

Peter writes of the last days when mockers will question “the promise of His coming” (3:3-4). The Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly and will ultimately lead to new heavens and a new earth (3:5-13). Peter uses these events to motivate believers to be diligent to be found by the Lord in peace, spotless, and blameless (3:14).

F. Teaching of John

1. First John

John exhorts believers to abide in Christ so they will be confident and not ashamed when He comes (1 John 2:28). The hope of believers is conformity to Christ at His appearance and that hope provides a motive for present purity (1 John 3:2-3). The believer who looks forward to becoming like Christ at His coming strives to be like Him now.

2. Revelation

In the messages to the churches at Thyatira and Philadelphia, the Lord exhorts them to “hold fast” until He comes (2:25; 3:11). Believers are to hold fast their testimony of Christ in the midst of affliction so as to be rewarded by Him at His coming.

Revelation 3:10 provides a promise that believers will be kept from the wrath that comes on the world (see 1 Thess 1:10; 5:9). John Niemelä provides a grammatical analysis of Rev 3:10 that disconnects that promise from the command to persevere. He gives this translation of the text: “I have loved you, because you have kept my command to persevere. I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world.”²⁰

Some interpreters have suggested that the symbol of the male child in Rev 12:5 can be identified as the body of Christ.²¹ The catching up of the child to God and His throne would represent the catching up of the body of Christ as described in 1 Thess 4:17. This is supported, among other things, by the use of harpazo, the representation of the church as a corporate entity in union with Christ, and the corporate application of Ps 2:9 in Rev 2:26-27; 12:5; and 19:14-15. The sure hope of the church is that she will be rescued from the coming wrath. This frees believers from fear over current events and any unhealthy focus on identifying news events and personages with prophecy.

Revelation ends with a threefold affirmation by the Lord of His imminent coming (Rev 21:7, 12, 20). He is coming with His reward to give to believers in accordance with works done. Believers who long for His coming can join John in saying, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

IV. HOW TEACHING ABOUT THE RAPTURE IMPACTS DISCIPLESHIP

From the preceding NT references to the imminent Rapture of believers, the Tribulation, the return of Christ to the earth with believers, etc., we can draw many essential principles for Christian living and discipleship. The teaching of the Rapture matters when it comes to the theme of discipleship.

A. It Promotes Alertness and Readiness

The hope of the Rapture provides motivation for alertness and readiness (e.g., Matt 24:42-44). The believer who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord will be alert and ready. Be alert and be ready ‘till He comes!

B. It Promotes Purity

The hope of the Rapture provides a motivation for purity (e.g., 1 John 3:2-3). The believer who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord will seek to be like Him. Be pure ‘till He comes!

C. It Promotes Harmony

The hope of the Rapture provides a motivation for harmony (e.g., Phil 4:4-5; Jas 5:7-9). The believer who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord will live in harmony with other believers. Be sweetly reasonable ‘till He comes!

D. It Promotes Ministry

The hope of the Rapture provides a motivation for ministry (e.g., 1 Cor 15:58; 2 Tim 4:1-2). The believer who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord will steadfastly abound in the work of the Lord. Serve the Lord ‘till He comes!

E. It Promotes Endurance

The hope of the Rapture provides a motivation for endurance (e.g., Phil 3:20–4:1; Rev 2:25; 3:11). The believer who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord will endure hardship and suffering for the sake of Christ. Hold fast ‘till He comes!

F. It Provides Comfort

The hope of the Rapture provides comfort in grief (e.g., John 14:13; 1 Thess 4:13-18). The believer who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord will grieve with hope. Grieve in hope ‘till He comes!

G. It Provides Peace

The hope of the Rapture provides security from fear of the wrath to come (e.g., 1 Thess 1:9-10; Rev 3:10). The believer who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord has peace since he knows God has not destined us for wrath but for deliverance through Christ. Be at peace ‘till He comes!

V. CONCLUSION

There is a trend today to discount the teaching of prophecy and the relevance of the hope of the Rapture. For example, Rick Warren writes, “When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. He said in essence, ‘The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I have given you. Focus on that!’”²² Mark Driscoll called the Rapture part of “a gloomy pessimistic eschatology that thinks we can’t make a difference in the world as the church by the power of the gospel.”²³

We have seen that the hope of the imminent coming of Christ for believers at the Rapture provides great incentives for a worthy walk and work. The teaching of the Rapture is essential to discipleship.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

---

¹ The book became a record-setting bestseller with sales of 28 million. Lindsey erred in tying the Rapture and the Tribulation to a timetable related to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.
² John Nelson Darby, “The Rapture of the Saints,” in The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, vol. 11, ed. William Kelly (Believers Bookshelf Reprint, 1972), 154.
³ Lewis Sperry Chafer, Major Bible Themes (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1974), 80-81.
⁴ Charles C. Ryrie, Come Quickly, Lord Jesus: What You Need to Know About the Rapture (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1996), 138-39.
⁵ Renald Showers, MARANATHA Our Lord, Come! (Belmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel, 1995), 256.
⁶ Robert N. Wilkin, The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible (Corinth, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2012), 180-81.
⁷ Louis Albert Barbieri, “The Biblical Doctrine of Imminency” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1968), 1.
⁸ Darby, “The Rapture,” 156-57.
⁹ Henry Clarence Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1949), 449-50. See also Merrill F. Unger, “Second Coming of Christ,” Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1957), 990; and Glenn Kreider, “The Rapture and the Day of the Lord,” in Evidence for the Rapture: A Biblical Case for Pretribulationism, ed. John F. Hart (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2015), 83.
¹⁰ S. Lewis Johnson, “Practical Value of the Doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,” transcript of a sermon found at www.sljinstitute.net. Accessed Apr 4, 2018.
¹¹ John F. Hart, “Should Pretribulationists Reconsider the Rapture in Matthew 24:36-44? Part I, II, and III” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society (Autumn 2007, Spring 2008, and Autumn 2008); Wes Spradley, “Jesus Is a Pre-Tribber,” unpublished paper presented at the January 2017 San Antonio Grace Evangelical Society Conference. For a contrary view see Robert Dean, “Mapping the Second Half of the Olivet Discourse,” unpublished paper presented at the 2017 Pre-Trib Rapture Conference.
¹² See Zane Hodges with Bob Wilkin, “The Parable of the Talents, Matt 25:14-30,” Grace in Focus (Denton, TX: GES, June 1, 2017); available online at https://faithalone.org/grace-in-focus-articles/the-parable-of-the-talents/.
¹³ Darby observed, “That which leads the wicked servant into all mischief is not the denial of the Lord’s coming, but the loss of the sense and present expectation of it.” See, Darby, “The Rapture,” 156.
¹⁴ A few interpreters assign this resurrection and transformation to the end of the millennial period and the beginning of the new heavens and the new earth. See for example Joseph Dillow, Final Destiny, 99-107; Dennis O. Wretlind, “The Last Trumpet: A Demarcation Event between the Present Temporal World and the Eternal World to Come,” PhD diss., Dallas Theological Seminary (May 1997). In contrast, Arnold Fruchtenbaum identifies “the last trumpet” of 1 Cor 15:52 with “the trumpet of God” of 1 Thess 4:16. He explains, “The last trump refers to the Feast of Trumpet and the Jewish practice of blowing trumpets at this feast each year. During the ceremony, there are a series of short trumpet sounds concluding with one long trumpet blast which is called the tekiah gedolah, the great trumpet blast. This is what Paul meant by the last trump. As such, it says nothing concerning the timing of the Rapture; only that this Rapture, whenever it comes will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets. This trumpet is the same as the trump of God found in I Thess 4:16.” See, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2004), 147.
¹⁵ John Walvoord connects this verse to John 14:2-3. He writes, “According to John 14:2, Christ is in heaven preparing the place for His future bride, the church. Accordingly, in keeping with the promise of John 14:3, He is coming again for His church, and hence the church can be looking to the heavens for the return of their Savior.” John F. Walvoord, Philippians (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1971), 97.
¹⁶ Charles C. Ryrie, Come Quickly Lord Jesus: What You Need to Know about the Rapture (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1996), 30-35.
¹⁷ Zane Hodges has done a survey of 1 Thessalonians, with an exegesis of 5:1-11, demonstrating that “the truth that the church will escape the Tribulation by means of the rapture has firm roots in the New Testament exegesis.” See Zane C. Hodges, “The Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11,” in Walvoord: A Tribute, ed. Donald K. Campbell (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1982).
¹⁸ See H. Wayne House, “Is the Rapture Found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3?” in The Popular Handbook on the Rapture, eds. Tim LaHaye, Thomas Ice, and Ed Hindson (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2011).
¹⁹ Johnson, “Practical Value of the Doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”
²⁰ John C. Niemelä, “Revelation 3:10 and the Rapture: A New Departure,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society (Spring 2017): 37.
²¹ See Michael J. Svigel, “What Child Is This? A Forgotten Argument for the Pretribulation Rapture,” In Evidence for the Rapture: A Biblical Case for Pretribulationism, ed. John F. Hart (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2015).
²² Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan, 2002), 285.
²³ Gerry Breshears and Mark Driscoll, Vintage Church (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 61.