Mark 13: 23-31 NIV
“So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. “But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Mark 13:23-31 NIV
The rapture…another “hot potato”!
It’s funny, strange…how a few Biblical scholars present an interpretation of Scripture, often out of a modern worldview, and everyone, that is, many if not most of the Christian world, run with it as though it is the absolute truth. I think that this is what has happened with our understanding of the “rapture”.
Three major interpretations occupy the attention of many believers…pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation…all focusing on the time of Jesus’ return rather than what the rapture might be.
That Jesus is coming back is not the issue but when He is coming depends on what we make of a combination of pieces of information. So, let’s examine what He had to say about the “rapture”.
First, there will be signs such as an increase of deception and wickedness, an escalation of natural disasters, and polarisation between believers and unbelievers with persecution gathering momentum. There will also be unnatural signs in the cosmos, all pointing to the nearness of Jesus’ return, like the signs of coming summer in the new growth of the fig tree.
Was Jesus referring to something specific happening in Israel, since He had shortly before spoken of Israel as the “fig tree” that had been cursed? Is “new growth”, that is, new spiritual life that is blossoming in God’s people, one of the signs that Jesus’ appearing is imminent? The Apostle Paul echoed this idea in his letter to the Romans.
Second, there is no evidence in Scripture that there will be two “comings”, a secret rapture when believers disappear off the earth, then an interval before Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. This idea comes from the notion of a separation of time between Daniel’s thirty-nineth and fortieth “week”.
The New Testament, in every reference to Jesus’ return, speaks of only one event…and it will not be secret or quiet! Paul wrote…
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NIV
“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NIV
“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 NIV
Second, when heaven invades earth, time will cease, and the coming of Jesus will herald the eternal “now”when everything will merge into one instantaneous event. For us now, this is mysterious because we are bound by time and the sequence of events.
Now let’s look at the idea of being “caught up”. The Greek words convey the idea of being snatched or seized, at the same time, into a close association with Jesus, and into cloudiness. When we connect this idea with the Jewish marriage protocol, after the ceremony, the bridegroom snatches up his bride and “raptures” her into the bridal chamber to consummate their marriage.
It’s this symbolism of the rapture that should dominate our thinking rather than timelines and mechanisms. When Jesus returns, He will complete the union He began on earth when He chose His bride. He betrothed her to Himself, both to separate her from all other men and for her to prepare herself for their wedding day.
“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people).”
Revelation 19: 6-8 NIV
On more than one occasion, Jesus used the language of a Jewish wedding to refer to the preparation for the wedding, for example…
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:2-3 NIV
The groom had no idea when that would be. His father alone would know when to send him to claim his bride once he was satisfied with the groom’s preparation of the bridal chamber.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Mark 13:32 NIV
So, how important it is that we understand the rapture in the context of a wedding rather than in our own non-Jewish imposition!
Jesus did not tell His disciples what would happen when He returns. We assume, from the combination of relevant Scriptures, that He will purify the earth of all evil and establish His eternal reign on earth together with His people. Revelation 21 describes the moment when heaven joins earth and God fulfills His dream of dwelling forever with His people.
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4 NIV
So, our concern should not be with events and timelines. Rather, we are to be ready by using the betrothal period to prepare for His coming by faithfully and lovingly serving His people, adorning our robe of righteousness with the jewels of good deeds.