Here is a theory that has gained a great deal of acceptance in our days among most religious orders regarding the alleged rapture of the saints. It is taught that the saints, at the coming of Christ, are to be taken up from the earth in some mysterious fashion and accompany the Lord back to heaven. In spite of the fact that this teaching can find absolutely no Scripture support whatsoever, it is embraced and taught fanatically from almost every pulpit. Nowhere, in all the Bible will one be able to find even a single verse that states that the saints are to go to heaven, either at death or at the return of Jesus Christ.
There is, however, one particular text that is generally brought forth to sustain this idea, and it is to be found in the writings of the apostle Paul. In I Thessalonians 4:16, 17, Paul writes, “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 : Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
We would like to point out some of the things which many have apparently overlooked in the reading of these two verses. If you will follow carefully, we believe that you will readily agree with us that this text does not in any way teach that the righteous are to be taken to heaven. First of all, it should be pointed out that Paul does not so much as mention the word heaven. At the outset then, it is apparent that something must be added to these verses in order to make them support this theory. Should we attempt to take these words of the apostle without any qualification, we would be led to the conclusion that the righteous are forever to remain suspended in the air. For Paul states that they are to meet Christ “in the air” and that they are then forever to remain with Him. This position, however, is untenable. Even rendered literally we must admit that the air or atmosphere is confined to an area surrounding the earth to a height of two hundred miles. The further one travels away from the earth, the rarer the atmosphere becomes until at last it becomes non-existent.
Furthermore, it is quite possible for one to remain on the earth and still be in the air. We see, therefore, friends, that taken literally, these verses teach that the dead in Christ, as well as those who are alive at his coming are forever to remain in the vicinity of the earth.
Regardless of the way we believe, it is apparent that some qualification must be exercised in order to make Paul’s message compatible with the rest of God’s word. Still, in attempting to interpret a Scripture we must use extreme care lest we give it some meaning that will place it in opposition to that which is plainly taught elsewhere in the Bible. The true meaning behind the words of Paul is obviously obscured, and we must understand them in harmony with the other writings of the apostles and prophets.
Both your Bible and mine plainly teach us that the righteous are never to be removed from the face of this earth. They are to inherit and possess it forever as the following passages prove. In Proverbs 11 :31, Solomon declares ; “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the Earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.” Again in Proverbs 10:30, he maintains ; “The righteous Shall be never moved: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.” King David was equally emphatic in his declaration of the future habitation of the righteous. In Psalm 37:29, he states :
“The righteous shall inherit The Land, and dwell therein forever.” In verse 34, he cries ; “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the Land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”
Even Jesus subscribed to this teaching, for in Matthew 5:5, he borrows a verse from the 37th Psalm, and declares ; “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the Earth.” John, while exiled on the Isle of Patmos received a Revelation direct from Christ, and relates the redeemed ones as singing, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests : And we shall reign on the Earth.” (Revelation 5 :11) In the face of these clear and unambiguous Scriptures, dare we take the liberty of “interpreting” Paul’s words in 1st Thessalonians to mean the very opposite ?
Shall we discard all of these inspired teachers, among whom is found the voice of Jesus, and wrest and corrupt the words of Paul into another teaching ? Surely, you must agree, we cannot ; we dare not. Should we presume to add to or take away from the teachings of this Divine book, we shall find that our names have been obliterated from the book of life, and a curse has fallen upon us. We should seek, rather to harmonize these difficult passages with the rest of God’s wondrous word, a work that shall receive our attention for the balance of this article.
All of us must agree that there is a certain amount of figurative language used in the Scriptures. This is especially true in regard to prophecies, such as the one found in I Thessalonians, chapter four. The use of figurative or symbolic language has given to the word of God, a charm and character that most surely would be lacking, had everything been stated in plain, simple and colorless statements. There is, of course, sufficient amount of Scripture set forth in clear and emphatic tones, so as to give the whole intelligence and purpose. Let us take for example, the Kingdom of God, a subject that is figuratively described as the “new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
This is not a deviation from our subject, for in this pursuit we shall find the true meaning of Paul’s words in Thessalonians. The passage we just quoted is found in 2nd Peter 3:13, in which the apostle makes mention of a former promise of God concerning the establishment of a system or government whose outstanding virtue will be righteousness. This particular prophecy can be found and read in the 65th chapter of Isaiah.
When considering these words of Peter, care must be exercised not to attach a meaning to them that does not harmonize with the rest of God’s words. The manner in which Peter uses the term ” heavens and earth” is defined in the very same chapter, that is the 3rd. In verse 5 he states. “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water : Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished : But the heavens and the earth, Which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
You will notice, that in verse 6, Peter says that the “world that then was, perished.” The Greek word translated “world” is Kosmos and has the meaning of order, arrangement or system and pertained to the organization in existence in Noah’s day. The governments of his day perished when God’s wrath was poured out on the earth in the form of a flood.
However, neither the literal earth nor the literal heavens suffered destruction. In this chapter, Peter speaks of the “heavens and earth which are now” ultimately being destroyed by Christ. This will take place when the Son of God returns and rules the nations with a rod of iron, and breaks them to pieces like a potter’s vessel. The heavens, in this case are descriptive of the earth’s aristocracy or rulers. Just as the natural heavens are above the literal earth, even so the figurative heavens are in a position of authority and dominion over the subjects depicted by the earth.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One