The rapture in the Old Testament

Many Bible students believe that Isaiah 57:1 alludes to the pre-trib rapture: "Devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil" (NIV).

One reason is because the words "taken away" are from the Hebrew "acaph" (Strong's # 622) which means "GATHERED," reminding us of the rapture passage, 2 Thessalonians 2:1: "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being GATHERED to him..."

Of course, it may also mean physical death, but I believe it is an Old Testament reference to the rapture.

This weekend I was reading about the righteous King Josiah in 2 Kings 22 and 23. He was a good and humble man, desiring to please God. But the people were evil in God's sight. On one occasion Josiah sought the counsel of the prophetess Huldah, who told him about God's coming, irrevocable judgment on the land, but also: "Therefore I will GATHER you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the DISASTER I am going to bring on this place" (v.20).

After reigning for 31 years from age eight, Josiah was killed in battle before the Babylonian invasion, just like the prophetess said. (He died at age 39, the number of stripes during Jesus' scourging.)

I said to myself, "Hmmmm. I wonder if the word "gather" could possibly be the same Hebrew word as in Isaiah 57:1?" I checked, and sure enough, it is the same Hebrew "acaph" (Strong's # 622)!

This makes me wonder if Josiah is a type of the church, representing God's righteousness in an evil world which, like Josiah, will be taken out before the disaster hits? Of course, some saints have already experienced physical death and have already been taken out, but perhaps the typology will be ultimately fulfilled in the soon rapture, before the coming "disaster." Let us hope.

By the way, there are other Old Testament passages that allude to a pretrib rapture. Of course, we know of Noah and Lot as types, being removed prior to God's wrath. Isaiah 26:19-20 also seems clear:

"But your dead will live;
their bodies will rise.
You who dwell in the dust,
wake up and shout for joy.
Your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead. (PHASE 1. THE RESURRECTION -- "THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST").

Go, my people, enter your rooms (the "place" Jesus has prepared -- John 14:2?)
and shut the doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while (PHASE 2. THE RAPTURE - "AFTER THAT WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN WILL BE CAUGHT UP..." "HIDE... A LITTLE WHILE" -- 7 YEARS?)

until his wrath has passed by. (PHASE 3. THE TRIBULATION.)