Caller: Hi. I was wondering - I do not believe in the rapture, but I'm having trouble finding verses to back me up. And I'm wondering if Ezekiel chapter 13, about verse 17, starting with verse 17 to verse 23. It talks about well of course it depends on which version you look at, whether it's Pillows or Banz. And it talks about people flying away. Does that have to do with the rapture because it says too that from the women - and I know that the rapture theory started with a woman somewhere in the 1800's.
Pastor Doug: Well, Mary, I've never read this passage and believed that it had a relevance to the subject of the second coming or the rapture. I think that Ezekiel here is speaking against the paganism that had crept in among God's people and some of the witchcraft they had become involved in. But there are a number of Scriptures that explain, now first of all for our listeners, all Christians, virtually all Bible Christians, believe in something called the rapture. The word rapture means 'caught up', and that comes to us from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 where it says '...the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air....' That's a very Biblical teaching that we're going to be caught up.
The concept of the rapture being a secret is disputed by good Christians on both sides. I'm among those who do not believe that there's a secret rapture before Jesus comes.
Caller: Yes that's what I'm talking about.
Pastor Doug: Right and many people base the idea of a secret rapture upon this parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 24 and in Luke, I think it's 21: two women grinding at the mill, one is taken one is left two men sleeping in a bed, one is taken one is left two men working in the field, one is taken one is left and people conjure up images of someone disappearing.
But Christ is using very clear, vivid Biblical images. Women working, grinding at a mill - women were symbols of churches outwardly doing the same things - one is true one is false. One is saved one is not. Two men sleeping in a bed. Two kinds of people are sleeping in death right now: the dead in Christ, and the lost. And when Jesus comes, the dead in Christ rise and the lost don't until the second resurrection that's Revelation chapter 20. And then it says two men working in the field. Jesus said, 'the harvest is great, the laborers are few. Pray the Father send laborers into the field....' Two kinds of people out there sharing two kinds of gospels, the true and the false. One is going to be lost one is going to be saved.
And so, people take that parable and they try and build a whole doctrine out of it but, the idea that Jesus is coming as a thief doesn't mean that He comes secretly. Because if you read 2nd Peter, matter of fact, any of our listening friends if you've got your Bibles open, I invite you to turn to 2nd Peter chapter 3 and when you look at verse 10 he says, '...But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night...' A lot of preachers stop right there Mary. And it goes on. The day of the Lord will come as a thief, and they say, 'that's it! A thief! Secret rapture!' but keep reading: 'The day of the Lord will come as a thief...in the which the heavens pass away with a great noise, the elements melt with fervent heat, the earth and the works that are therein are burned up,'
Now you tell me, does that sound like life goes on as normal after the day of the Lord comes as a thief, when the earth and the works in it are burned up?
Caller: No, no.
Pastor Doug: So there's no secret there!
Caller: No. I don't believe in that kind of rapture but I'm having trouble with more than just, you know, just -everybody says well you're taking one verse and you're taking it out of context and I used to have a book that gave all the verses, and I don't have that book anymore.
Pastor Doug: Well I'll tell you what. I've got a magazine. We have a magazine, I've got an article that I wrote, and it's called Anything but Secret. If you call the Amazing Facts Resource Number, tell them you'd like the magazine, Anything but Secret. We still have back issues. We ought to turn that into a booklet Pastor Dick because we get a lot of questions on that.
Co-Host: We do yes.
Pastor Doug: Matter of fact, for two months in a row we did the tribulation and the rapture, back to back, and you can ask for both of those Mary and it would really help okay?
Caller: Okay thanks very much.
Pastor Doug: Okay call our resource number and tell them what you want, and we'll be happy to supply that.
Co-Host: Mary, that number is 800-835-6747.
Pastor Doug: The magazine is called Amazing Facts Inside Report.
Caller: Thank you.
Pastor Doug: Okay thank you.