Class Notes

Gospel Essentials  What Rapture?

Click Here to View a Formal Handout on the Rapture created 12-20-2000

Class Notes:

Passage: I Thessalonians 4:15 - I Thessalonians 5:3

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that they who are alive at the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who remain unto the coming of the Lord, who are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
17 Then they who are alive, shall be caught up together into the clouds with them who remain, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we be ever with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 5
Intro Christ's second coming -- Precepts of righteousness. 1
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Verse 17, above is the one they use.  But read in context, we see that the scripture, according to the inspired version, is obviously dealing with an event at Christ's SECOND coming.  Verse 16 deals with the issue we've been talking about at Sunday school lately.  The First Resurrection.  This is the time at the beginning of the Millennium, when the dead in Christ (i.e. good people) are resurrected.  THIS is when people on the earth are caught up to meet Christ in the clouds--but it is simultaneous with his descent to earth.

The word “Rapture” does not appear in Scripture.

A good passage that deals with this D&C 85, around verses 25 onward:

DC 85:27c And they who have slept in their graves, shall come forth; for their graves shall be opened, and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven: they are Christ's, the first fruits:

DC 85:27d they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth, and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.

This section describes the real events and how they occur when Christ comes--D&C 85 is very detailed and exciting!

Interesting, the only real 'rapture' that has ever or will ever occur, is how people in the last days will be caught up into ZION, but it is on earth.  In Enoch's day, scripture records that people were conveyed away by the spirit into Enoch's City, Zion:

DC 36:6a And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Spirit fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.

Matthew 24 records that two shall be together, and one taken, the other left.  I believe this is exactly going to happen in our day, just as it did in Enoch’s:  people will be caught up to Zion, to safety, while the world is in tribulation.  What the world of modern day Christians don't know, is that their description of 'The Rapture' is really a description of things that will happen for people of Zion.

44 But as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
45 For it shall be with them as it was in the days which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
46 Then shall be fulfilled that which is written, that, In the last days,
47 Two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left.
48 Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one taken and the other left.
49 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; Watch, therefore, for ye know not at what hour hour Lord doth come.
50 But know this, if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to have been broken up; but would have been ready.
51 Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.

See how Matthew concludes with saying 'in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh'?  This is at the second coming, not before.

Mathhew 24 speaks clearly:  The elect to whom this passage is addressed, are none other but the Jews!  The two grinding, one taken, refers to the re-gathering to Zion.  This and the Law of Moses point to Christ  are the two major themes of the Jews’ scriptures. (besides Christ being the savior).  Again, the taking of people from the field, is the mysterious gathering of the lost tribes prophesied of throughout scripture, not some made-up theology that Gentiles blind to the covenants have made up about their own last day self-righteousness.

 Jeremiah 23:  Speaks that the gathering of the last days will be so much more profound than anything the Jews have ever before witnessed, that the Exodus from Egypt will pale in significance.  Today, the Exodus is still the predominant pinnacle in the Israelite history.  And Jeremiah concludes, that in the Latter days, we shall consider it perfectly.

 Genesis 7:70 And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine own elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare; an holy city, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion; a New Jerusalem.

(This above is the real rapture process that scriptures describe will ever occur on this earth--the gathering of the covenant people to Zion.)