The Rapture Theory and the Great Apostacy:
Leading Christians Straight to Antichrist
Of all of the controversies among Christians, there is none greater than that of the so-called "any moment now" rapture theory, also known as the pre-tribulation rapture. Those who believe in it, cling to it tenaciously, like the cartoon character Linus clinging to his security blanket.
Unfortunately, there is absolutely NO Biblical support for "the rapture" as it is commonly taught by Christian ministers today. None whatsoever. The Scriptures simply will not support it. Yes, there is a spectacular "gathering together" of the saints, which occurs here on earth at Christ's second advent. Of that there is no doubt. But to make a pre-trib "rapture" out of it requires such a torturous twisting of the Scriptures that, in the end, the message of the Second Coming of Christ is rendered meaningless. Worse yet, the "any moment now" rapture leads Christians to unwittingly worship the first supernatural being who sets foot on this earth promising to gather everyone together unto himself. This entity, as you will see in the Scriptures below, is the antichrist. It is not our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that is the danger of the rapture theory – a danger our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus adamantly warned us against, as you will see.
Yes, I will prove all of this to you, straight from the Scriptures. So please, for just a moment, try to set aside your opinions and let the Scriptures flow in their simplicity. The following verses make it crystal clear that TWO sequential events MUST happen BEFORE Christ Jesus can arrive to this earth and gather us back to Himself. Let’s see what they are:
II Thess. 2: 1-4:
II Thess 2:1 – Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
Here Paul sets the subject: Christ's coming, and our GATHERING TOGETHER unto Him.
II Thess 2:2 – That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
In other words, Paul says "Don't let ANYTHING shake you up into thinking the day of Christ is at hand."
II Thess 2:3 – Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Here are the TWO SEQUENTIAL EVENTS Paul admonishes us to understand; he states in no uncertain terms that Christ's coming and our gathering together unto Him simply CANNOT happen until there is a falling away first, and then that man of sin, the son of perdition is revealed. The phrase "falling away" is #647 in the Strong's Concordance, and it means "a defection from the truth." It is very straightforward. There is no need to try to stretch it into any other meaning.
In short, Paul simply states that two sequential events MUST happen before Christ can come: 1.) There will be a massive defection from the Truth – i.e., a defection from God's Word, and 2.) the "man of sin" the "son of perdition," that is to say, the antichrist himself, will be revealed.
II Thess 2:4 – Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Paul says that when the antichrist arrives to this earth, he will seat himself in the Temple of God (i.e., at Jerusalem) and tell the world that he IS "God." Again, carefully note that Paul is strongly emphasizing the fact that Christ Jesus CANNOT arrive and our gathering together unto Him CANNOT take place until first a defection from the truth occurs, and then the antichrist seats himself in the temple of God (in Jerusalem) pretending to the world that he is "God." Paul is very clear on this. Yet Christians who believe that Christ can come "at any moment now" to rapture them away completely gloss over this vital Bible teaching. In other words, they have defected from the truth!
So, is there a second witness in the Holy Scriptures to what Paul has taught? Of course there is. And Christ Jesus Himself gives us that second witness. So, let's pick up on this exact same event in Mark 13:14-27, where Christ is teaching His disciples (and therefore, us) the chronological order of events leading directly to His arrival and to our gathering together unto Him. In the verses below, antichrist has already arrived and set up shop in Jerusalem. Remember, there has been a great falling away (a defection from the truth), and the "man of sin" the "son of perdition" is now sitting in the Temple at Jerusalem proclaiming that he is "God." We have been told by Paul in no uncertain terms that these are the two events which MUST happen BEFORE Christ will return and gather together his saints unto Himself. With that in mind, here is Christ Himself teaching the exact chronological order of events that will take place once antichrist arrives to this earth and seats himself in Jerusalem...
Mark 13:14-27
Mark 13:14 – But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Keep in mind that Christ is teaching His disciples, and He plainly states that we will actually SEE the "abomination of desolation" standing "where it ought not" (i.e., in Jerusalem). That means we will BE HERE. There is NO rapture beforehand.
Dr. Moffatt, one of the greatest Christian scholars of all times, accurately translates the phrase "where it ought not" as "where HE ought not," thereby bringing this verse into correct context with the related Scriptures. In other words, this verse tells us that when anti-Christ has arrived and seats himself in the Temple in Jerusalem -- i.e., the "place where HE ought not" -- then it is time for the locals to get out of Dodge, i.e., flee to the mountains. Why? Because the wrath of God is about to strike Jerusalem to clean it of the abominable stench caused by antichrist sitting there proclaiming himself to be "God." In the Book of Revelation, this event is called the battle of Armageddon, when Christ Jesus arrives to destroy the antichrist and the multitudes who have aligned themselves with him. On the deeper spiritual level, we are being admonished here by Christ to flee from the deception of false religion ushered in by the antichrist, and reject this guy pretending to be the "Messiah." More on that shortly...]
Mark 13:15 – And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
Christ says we are not to hang around even long enough to gather our belongings. We are not going to need fleshly goods anymore, anyway, for Christ Himself is about to arrive shortly and we will all be changed into our spiritual bodies "in the twinkling of an eye." Your fleshly goods will be completely useless to you.
Mark 13:16 – And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
You won't even need a change of clothing. Don't go back into Dodge. STAY IN THE FIELD, doing the Lord's work. More on that, in a moment...
Mark 13:17 – But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Pretty hard to flee into the mountains when you are pregnant with a child, or nursing one, right? However, there is a deeper spiritual connotation to this verse, meaning that if you, as part of the Bride of Christ, have become spiritually impregnated with the lies and deception of anti-Christ, who is sitting there in Jerusalem telling you "I am your God," or if you are already "giving suck," that is, nursing others along in that false belief, then "woe" to you, because you are going to be in some pretty deep doo-doo when the True Christ arrives in short order and discovers that you have been spiritually whoring around with His arch-nemesis.
Mark 13:18 – And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
The word "winter" is translated by Strong's as "stormy weather." Again, the harsh stormy winter months are not the best of times to be fleeing into the mountains. Or, on the deeper spiritual level, if you have waited until the stormy weather (anti-Christ's flood of lies, which is the great tribulation) strikes Jerusalem before attempting to "come out of her, My People," you might get bogged down in this awful deception. It is better to know your Father's Word on the subject IN ADVANCE, so the spiritual storm caused by anti-Christ's flood of lies doesn't suck you in.
Mark 13:19 – For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
The word affliction is "tribulation." Here is the GREAT TRIBULATION. It is anti-Christ, "the abomination of desolation" sitting in the Temple of God, pretending to be God Himself, just like Paul told us he would in 2 Thessalonians. What's more, Revelation 12:9 and Revelation 13:4 tell
us that anti-Christ is so good in this role, he is actually able to "deceive the whole world." Note, there has been NO RAPTURE yet described by Christ in this chronological, event-by-event teaching He is giving us. As you will see, He is taking us through the events completely chronologically, from the point that anti-Christ sets up shop in Jerusalem (in vs. 14 above), to the point that He (the True Christ) arrives to gather us together unto Himself (in verses 25 and 26
below). Keep reading. I promise, you will see...
Mark 13:20 – And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
So the elect of God -- His "chosen" -- the very best of His Christian churcch, will be right here on earth in the midst of the great tribulation. What a concept. And still no "rapture!"
Mark 13:21 – And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
Here Christ tells us that when the deceived masses of the world start telling you "Look, Christ is here," we are not to believe them. The guy they will all be raving about isn't Christ. He is the anti-Christ. ("Anti" in the Greek means "instead of." Look the word antichrist up in your Strong's Concordance and you will see.) In other words, when the vast majority of Christianity is expecting Christ to show up, this guy comes instead of Christ Jesus. That is why he is called the antichrist, or the false messiah. He arrives instead of the true Messiah, Jesus Christ. Yes, he comes to Jerusalem and seats himself in the Temple INSTEAD of Christ. This is also why Christ's wrath is so hot, when He arrives shortly afterward. This false Christ is attempting to pass himself off as Jesus Christ! And he is attempting to steal Christ's Bride through deception, by seating himself in the temple in Jerusalem and telling them he IS Christ! And hey, check it out – there is still no "rapture"!
Mark 13:22 – For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
Check your Strong's again, on the phrases "false Christs" and "false prophets." These phrases are singular, not plural. In the Greek, the verse above actually says a false Christ and a false prophet shall rise. (Jesus Christ is the True Christ, and the True Prophet; anti-Christ is the false Christ, and the false prophet.) So, now we discover that the antichrist's great deception, replete with miracles and wonders, is so powerful and impressive that if it were possible (it is not) he would seduce even the elect into believing he is "God." And has anyone been "raptured" out yet? Nope. Not a soul.
Mark 13:23 – But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
Christ says, "This oughta be a piece of cake for you, because I've given you the whole thing in perfect chronological order. I have just foretold everything for you. The whole ball of wax. How could you screw this up?" (Well, maybe by trying to stick an "any moment now rapture" into it, where it just won't fit.)
Mark 13:24 – But in those days, AFTER that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Aha! We are now "AFTER" that tribulation, and still no rapture. No "gathering together" unto the Lord yet. But hold on, it's coming...
Mark 13:25 – And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
Now the powers of heaven are shaken. Still no Christ. Still no "gathering together" of His saints.
Mark 13:26 – And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Oh boy, here it is – the arrival to earth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! And when does it happen? It happens "then." That is, AFTER the tribulation. And AFTER the powers in heaven have been shaken. "THEN SHALL THEY SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING IN THE CLOUDS WITH GREAT POWER AND GLORY." Now, is that too hard to understand? And look, still no "gathering together" with our Lord and Savior. But don’t give up yet. It’s coming!
Mark 13:27 – And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Finally, here it is: the GATHERING TOGETHER of Christ's loyal Christians. And when does it happen? Again, it happens in the perfect chronological order Christ taught. It happens AFTER the tribulation, and AFTER the powers in heaven are shaken, and AFTER you see Him coming with great power and glory! In fact, in the verses above our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ personally teaches our gathering together unto Him as the FINAL EVENT of His Second Coming!
Wow! Perhaps this is why, in Mark 13:13, where Christ takes great pains to explain WHO WILL BE SAVED, He states in no uncertain terms, "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." In the Greek, the word "endure" means "to remain behind and persevere." (Check your Strong's.) Yes, he that REMAINS BEHIND AND PERSEVERES UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved. NOT he who starts hitting his ejection button and tries to "rapture" out before the great tribulation even gets started. There simply is no "pre-tribulation rapture." Again, our gathering together unto Christ is the FINAL event of His second coming. There is nothing "pre" about it. To be saved, you must REMAIN BEHIND AND PERSEVERE UNTO THE END.
So what happens to all of the Top Gun rapture jockeys who were busy hitting the ejection button before the great tribulation even started? Well, I sure wouldn't want to be in their shoes. You see, the Scripture says, "two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left behind." And all of the good Christian rapture believers get ecstatic when they read these verses, saying, "That's me, that's me! I'm going to be the one TAKEN in the rapture. And I sure pity those poor guys who are LEFT BEHIND." Yes, there are even Biblically-illiterate "reverends" who write bestselling books about it, decrying the horror that awaits those who are "left behind," and extolling the rewards awaiting of those who are "taken." Yet Christ Himself instructs us to REMAIN BEHIND AND PERSEVERE UNTO THE END if we want to be saved. He does not instruct us to go flitting off to the first "messiah" that appears on the scene, for as we learned above, that is antichrist, the "instead of Christ."
You see, those who get so ecstatic about being "taken" from the field never bother to check with the Scriptures as to where the one who prematurely abandons his work in the field is TAKEN TO. But in Luke chapter 17, the apostles were intelligent enough to ask Christ that question. And Christ was kind enough to answer. So, let's see what our Lord and Saviour says about those who refuse to remain behind and persevere unto the end, and instead are "taken" from the field in their long anticipated "rapture:"
Luke 17:36-37
Luke 17:36 – Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 17:37 – And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
In the Greek, the word "body" is actually "carcass." As in DEAD BODY. (Again, check your Strong’s Concordance and see for yourself.) And according to Dr. Bullinger and other well-known Bible scholars, the word "eagles" is not like our American eagle, but instead is the Roman ôeagleö which is a VULTURE. You see, the apostles ask Christ where the one taken from the field is taken to. And Christ tells the apostles, "You'll find his dead body (carcass) where the vultures are gathered." Wow. Some "rapture," huh?
In short, the ones "taken" end up dead as door nails at Armageddon, that great battlefield just outside of Jerusalem, where anti-Christ and everyone he has deceived into supporting him, make their final stand against Christ Jesus, and are crushed like ants at Christ's arrival. Here's how it is described in the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 19:17-21 – And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
Yes, rather than REMAIN BEHIND AND PERSEVERE UNTO THE END like Christ has instructed all loyal Christians to do, these guys instead abandon their post (this is called APOSTACY) and rush to be the first to be "taken." Instead of believing the Word of God, they choose to believe some "reverand" who writes bestselling fiction novels about the "horrors" of being "Left Behind." And so, they are the ones "taken" from the field. They are taken straight to antichrist – unwittingly believing him to be Christ Jesus – and thinking he has come to "rapture" them away.
In conclusion, the defection from the truth (the apostacy or "falling away") that Paul warned us about in 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-4 is triggered by the "any moment now rapture" theory. Let me repeat: It is triggered by the "any moment now rapture" theory. Christ Jesus warns us to REMAIN BEHIND AND PERSEVERE UNTO THE END. But instead of listening to Him, and obeying Him, millions of Christians are defecting from the truth by making plans to flit off like a butterfly BEFORE THE TRIBULATION EVEN GETS STARTED. Virtually the entirety of Christianity today has bought into this rapture lie. Instead of believing Christ’s precious promise that "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power of the enemy: and NOTHING shall by ANY MEANS hurt you" (Luke 10:19, my emphasis), Christians today reject His promises of protection and foolishly embrace the scare stories about the "great tribulation" generated by "best selling Christian authors" who have frightened them into scrambling for the "eject" button (I guess you could call it premature eject-ulation) before the tribulation has even begun!
What is the matter with Christians today? In Psalm 91 God promises that if we stand by Him, and do according to His Word, "a thousand shall fall by your right hand, and ten thousand by your left, but it shall not come nigh unto thee." Yet instead of believing Him, and standing firm against the antichrist when he arrives, the vast majority of Christianity today longs to FLEE from the tribulation in some un-Scriptural "rapture" like a bunch of yellow bellies who don't even trust their own Heavenly Father -- the mightiest force in the entire universe! I am ashamed to be among Christians sometime, when I hear their pathetic and cowardly excuses for wanting to "fly away." We have the promises and protection of ALMIGHTY GOD on our side. We can stand firm against the antichrist when he arrives, and he cannot harm one hair on our head (see Luke 21:16-18, where Christ confirms that even if we are delivered up to antichrist be killed, "not one hair of your head shall perish.")
In Psalm 91 our Father promises us, "Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall NO EVIL BEFALL THEE, NEITHER SHALL ANY PLAGUE COME NIGH THY DWELLING." In short, the "great tribulation" is a piece of cake for those who know Him, and who trust His Word!
Our heavenly Father further attests in that same Psalm, "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion AND THE DRAGON shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I WILL BE WITH HIM IN TROUBLE; I WILL DELIVER HIM, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."
What is this "trouble" our Father promises to be with us through? It is the great tribulation, pure and simple. If we truly love God, and believe His Word, then we had better be STOMPING DRAGON during the great tribulation as the Scripture above states, and not hitting the eject button and trying to "fly away" with the false messiah. For God will be with us through the whole ordeal if we stick with Him. We are to stand firm against the antichrist – the false messiah – exposing him to the world for who he really is, and using God’s Word to do so. And it will be a piece of cake if we will stick with God and do it His way, for He has already guaranteed us the victory! See for yourself...
Daniel 7:18 – But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
Yes, that’s right. Through Christ we have the victory. It is already written! And that means it’s a guarantee.
So, in conclusion, will there be a "catching away" to Christ at His second coming? You'd better believe it! It is described in I Thessalonians 4:14-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-57. Many Christians know those verses by heart. But as we’ve clearly seen from the Scriptures throughout this short study, that spectacular gathering together with Christ Jesus can only happen at Christ’s second coming, which takes place AFTER the great defection from the truth (apostacy)...AFTER the antichrist has arrived to this earth and has seated himself in the temple of God, claiming to be "God"...and AFTER the great tribulation. Only then does Christ Jesus arrive to gather together his faithful servants unto Himself.
So the bottom line is this: We are told by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to REMAIN BEHIND AND PERSEVERE UNTO THE END. We are not to defect from the truth, and rush off to embrace the first supernatural being who sets foot on this earth claiming to be "Christ" and offering to gather us together unto himself, for indeed that is the antichrist. If it were not so, Christ would not have warned us thusly:
Mark 13:21 – And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
The bottom line is this: Today as we have a profound choice to make. We can join in with those who, through their belief in the pre-tribulation rapture theory, have unwittingly defected from the truth and now work to bring Christians into a premature gathering with the false messiah – the antichrist. Or we can believe the Word of God which repeatedly warns us to reject the false Christ, stand firm in the truth, and wait for the true Christ to arrive and gather us together unto Himself.
One path leads to life eternal with Christ Jesus. And one path leads to spiritual death with antichrist. As the Scripture says:
Deuteronomy 30:19 – I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
It is still the same today. Set before us is one path which leads to life, and one path which leads to death. One path which leads to blessing, and one path which leads to cursing. Therefore, when you are faced with the choice to believe either God’s Word, or man’s word, choose life. Believe God. Let men write all of the "Left Behind" books they want. There is only ONE book that matters to a true Christian, and that is the Word of God. It is your life. Stick with it, not with man! After all, we have some DRAGON STOMPING to do, and the time is coming soon.
In Christian Love,
Steven Spencer Barwick