Rapture: Is there anything about it in The Four Gospels?
Some people have asked— “Didn’t both Matthew and Luke write about it?”
Matthew 24:40-42
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [Emphasis added]
Luke 17:34-36
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. [Emphasis added]
One main problem with believing these verses speak of the Rapture is the fact that the context of these passages is to do with the Second Coming of Christ, not the Rapture.
Matthew 24:1-3
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [AION = age or period of time]? [Emphasis added]
Please note that we read later in this same chapter about things that will occur leading up to the return of Christ to the Earth, what we typically speak of as His Second Coming.
Matthew 24:29-30
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [Emphasis added]
One of the main reasons we know these two passages are not speaking of the Rapture is that, quite unlike the Second Coming, the Rapture is said to have been a mystery, something unknown to anyone prior to the revelation and writings of the apostle Paul.
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
51 Behold, I shew you A MYSTERY [MUSTERION = a secret]; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. [Emphasis added]
Therefore, since the Rapture was not prophesied but was a secret not known to any of the prophets of old, and even the apostles, they didn’t write anything about it. As you can see in my other articles about the Rapture, this event, like many other blessings that are now ours to know, was not revealed anywhere in the prophetic writings, and only the apostle Paul wrote about it.
A fuller description of this event is found in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [believers who had passed away], that ye sorrow not, even as others [speaking of unbelievers] which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [a reference to our gospel today], even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord [speaking of special first-time revelation about this event that had been given to Paul], that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord [speaking of the Rapture] shall not prevent them which 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 we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [HARPAGESOMETHA = caught up] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. [Emphasis added]
To see a list of differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming, please see my article about this—
Rapture: How is this different from the Second Coming?
As you’ll see in the article, there are many differences. They are clearly two completely different events. There I list ten (10) of the more obvious differences.
Always realize that if you’re ever going to have a mature understanding of the Bible, you’re going to have to realize the uniqueness of the apostle Paul’s ministry and message. That is why I’ve written so many articles related to this—
Paul: Who exactly is this man to us?
Gospel: Where did the apostle Paul get the one he preached?
I even have videos about this linked to this website.
#197 – The apostle Paul’s last words to us
We must always realize that Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, not to Israel.
Romans 11:13
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Emphasis added]
Blending the different messages of Peter with Paul always creates confusion and misunderstanding. We, too, are to “magnify” his office. I have whole articles about this on this website—
Paul: Do we make too much of him?
Peter & Paul: Was their message the same?
I’ve always been amazed how when people see and believe these differences and distinctions it makes all the difference in the world about their understanding of the Bible. Suddenly they begin to see and understand things they never understood before. Even things that once seemed contradictory and confusing suddenly make sense. Therefore, if you haven’t already, I hope you’ll give some priority to learning what it means to “rightly divide” the Scriptures. It is the correct understanding of this principle that’s going to make such a huge difference in your understanding and appreciation for what you read in the Bible.
2 Timothy 2:15
15 Study [SPOUDAZO = be diligent] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. [Emphasis added]
When this command is obeyed people come to understand how it is that while ALL Scripture is FOR us it is not all TO us or ABOUT us. For more information about this, please see my articles about it. Here’s the name and link to one of them—
