THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SECRET RAPTURE

by Deborah Stevenson

INTRODUCTION

"...looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13).

The second coming of Christ has been the blessed hope of all believers throughout the ages. This has been so, because of what Christ's coming means to us. It typifies the final destruction of all wickedness and the final restoration of eternal peace and happiness, whereby,the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and,His Christ.

Ever since the ascension of Christ into heaven and even long before, the ancient prophets and the apostles longed for His second return. The Patriarch Enoch thousands of years ago prophesied of Christ's second return when he declared..."Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints (angels) to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 14, 15). And of the apostles they too have declared, "And now, little children abide in Him that when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 Jn. 2:28; 1 Tim. 6:14; 1 Cor. 1:7).

And so, like the Prophets and apostles, the second coming of Christ is also the blessed hope of us Christians of this present and final age. Even in the various false religions of Christianity, many still look forward to the second return of Christ, as the sure return of His coming is substantiated in the writings of the Holy Scriptures. But as to the manner and events surrounding His return, many have erred concerning the faith.

It is thus the case of this doctrine or theory of the secret rapture. This doctrine of the secret rapture is one of the major views that are held by fallen Protestantism, as pertaining to the events surrounding the return of Christ. Multitudes have been led to believe in this assumed doctrine of the secret rapture, which however is not biblically based. As a result many will find themselves in a confused and hopeless position unprepared to face the true events surrounding Christ's return. Herein lies the purpose of this little booklet, it is written with the aim of portraying the true biblical events concerning the second return of Christ which is our blessed hope. Also this booklet aims at the exposing of this assumed doctrine of the secret rapture as is held by the modern day fallen Protestant churches, recognizing the importance of pure and truthful doctrines, for herein lies the surety of salvation.

It is with deep earnestness that I emphasize the importance of pure and truthful doctrines, for there has also been the claim by many of these false Protestant churches that there is no importance of doctrines, but that the importance lies in the acceptance or acknowledgement of Christ. But in the face of all this claim I lift my voice with the written Word of the Holy Scriptures, the written Word whereby Christ Himself had conquered that "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God; He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son; If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine receive him not into your home neither bid him God speed: For he that bideth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (2 Jn. 9-11).. Herein is outlined the importance of pure and truthful doctrines, it determines the straight case as possessing God or not.

One cannot possess Christ and have wrong doctrines, for Christ claims to be the Truth, hence any doctrines that carries His title must also be in nature Truth. And so, even the apostles upheld the importance of pure doctrines for Paul prophesied that especially in the last days "Many will not endure sound doctrines, but after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto fables," (11 Tim. 4:3,4). Hence the special emphasis on doctrines.

Most of all the burden of this booklet is aimed at the undeceiving of minds as pertaining to the fallacy of this doctrine of the secret rapture, hence establishing our hope not on cunningly devised fables, but rather on the sure foundation of the Word of God. So as we proceed to the investigation of the fallacy of this doctrine, may the Spirit of Truth and Purity guide you into the furtherance of life, and accomplish the three aims of this booklet is my earnest prayer in the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

EXAMINATION OF THE TERM RAPTURE

There is not much that can be said about the term 'rapture', but that it is found no where in the writings of the Holy Scriptures. None of the apostles and writers of the Holy Scriptures ever used the term, basically because they never taught or held the concept that is behind the term rapture. The most that is known about the term 'rapture' as used in expressing a religious belief is that it is art invention of theologians, it is a word coined to identify the secret coming of-Christ to deliver His saints. The theory of the rapture is as follows:

1. Christ's coming will be in two separate events. Firstly, He comes in secret to rapture or deliver His church or people where He takes them to heaven.

2. Then He returns seven years later in an open demonstration of power and Glory.

3. In between these two events of His coming the anti-Christ is supposed to come into power and the great tribulation period is to take place. This basically is the rapture theory.

To expound more about this theory, they, the rapturist teach that Christ's first coming (which is secret) is imminent, that is, it can occur at any moment since there are no predicted events which must precede its occurrence. The prevailing opinion is that when Christ comes, He does not come down to earth but remains in the air, at which time He raptures His saints, both dead and living, the dead by resurrection and the living by being caught up together with the resurrected dead to meet the lord in the air to be ever with Him. Hence this coming, is also called the 'coming for His saints.'

It is hereby followed by an interval of seven years, during which, the anti-Christ or the man of sin is revealed; the great tribulation takes place, and also the world is evangelized, where another chance will be given to those not raptured to be saved. After these events there is another coming of the Lord with His saints in demonstration of power and glory which is called 'the revelation' of the 'day of the Lord' in which He comes down to earth. Thus we have two distinct comings of the Lord, with the many events. Herein is seen the theory of the rapture.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE RAPTURE THEORY

In every true or false doctrine that is taught, there are given certain implications as pertaining to the doctrine. Even so in this theory of the secret rapture there are implications to be gained. Let us view the implications of the rapture theory.

1. The righteous will be separated from the wicked seven years before the end of the world.

2. The righteous therefore will not go through the tribulation period, for they will be secretly taken away to heaven.

3. The anti-Christ is not presently reigning or existing but is yet to reign in the future.

4. The anti-Christ reign will be only for a period of seven years, for in seven years after the rapture Christ will return.

5. The anti-Christ being regulated to the future means that the church has missed his historical presence hence they have no idea why the reformation was born nor why their church exist nor what constituted the conflict of the gospel and Romanism in history. They do not understand the theological issues.

6. The 'Christ' given by this pseudo eschatology is unable to do away with sin. He is unable to sustain the saints by his grace in the time of the tribulation.

7. There are two separate events of the preaching of the gospel, the present preaching of the gospel and the future preaching during the reign of the anti-Christ which as already stated, occurs after the rapture of the church, in which another chance is afforded to those not rapture to be saved.

These are some of the implications of the theory of the secret rapture. And now I will, directly go forth to this portion of the booklet that deals with the exposing of the fallacy of this doctrine and its deadly implications.

EXPOSURE OF THE RAPTURE THEORY

The exposing of the doctrine of the secret rapture will be accomplished by the Truth in the Holy Scriptures. But a point of importance here is that the exposure to be presented is not in a systematic or chronological pattern. But however each part is carefully observed and interrelated together to expose the doctrine and at the same time to present the true manner and events as pertaining to Christ's return.

CHRIST COMES FOR HIS SAINTS

Since we have already established the coming of Christ, it is to be made known that the purpose of Christ's coming is for the gathering of His saints. "I go to prepare a place for you and if I go I shall come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also". (Jn. 14:3). "And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a crown of Glory that fadeth not away." (1 Pet. 5:4). "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds of the heaven to the other." (Matt. 24:31). "Blessed are those servants whom the lord when He cometh shall find watching." (Lk. 12:37; 1 Thes. 5:23; 1 Tim. 6:14; Ph. 3:20).

The saints that Christ comes for also includes the dead saints in the grave; "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." (1 Thes. 4:16). "The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live." (Jn. 5:25).

THE COMING FOR HIS SAINTS WILL NOT BE SECRET

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matt. 24:27). "For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised." (1 Cor. 15:52). "When the Son of man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him;"(Matt. 25:31).

From the previous biblical texts we can see or gleam the truths projected. Firstly we see that the coming of Christ is for His saints which consist of the living saints on earth and the dead saints. At His coming for His saints, we have so far seen from the bible texts that this coming for His saints does not consist in a secret coming but rather His coming is attended with ten thousands of angels and with the sound of a trumpet with power and great-glory. The Psalmist David proclaims of Christ's coming when he said. . . "Our God shall come and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him; and He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that He may judge His people." (Ps. 50:3-5).

More than this it is at this time the resurrection of the dead saints occurs, at the sound of the trumpet, and at the shout of the archangel. Can you imagine thousands of angels filling the whole heavens, the sound of a trumpet and the shout of the archangel to summons the resurrection of the righteous dead, the opening of the graves, all these events occurring in silence? It is impossible for all these events to occur in secret. A trumpet has been used to give a loud sound or warning as in the days of Israel so that all the people could know. (Isa. 18:3; 2 Sam. 2:28).

Also at the resurrection of Lazarus the Scriptures says; "He (Christ) cried with a loud voice, LAZARUS COME FORTH". (Jn. 11:43). Herein is seen the demonstration of the shout of God to summons and awakened the dead in their graves, to pierce the chambers of Death. Therefore the shout of the archangel Is in collaboration with the loud voice at the resurrection of the dead Lazarus. So then we see that the coming of Christ for His saints is not a secret coming but rather a glorious coming in power and great glory. Such is the coming of Christ for His saints. It is not a secret coming for it will be accompanied by thousands of angels. The righteous dead, the opening of graves which takes in the righteous dead arising out of the watery graves of the sea, as they are caught up together with the living righteous with great joy and praise as they all exclaim "O death where is thy sting? 0 grave where is thy victory? But thanks be God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:55,57; Mk. 8:38).

All these events reveals the coming of Christ will not be in secret when He comes to gather His saints. And if His coming is not secret, then His coming will be in open display of power and great glory. Herein can be seen that there is no secret rapture, but an open and glorious rapture or deliverance of the church, hence we can see already that there is not two phases of the return of Christ, but one major coming of His return. But we will investigate more truths about this secret rapture theory to confirm this.

NO TWO PHASES OF CHRIST'S RETURN

We have seen already that the rapturist teaches two phases of Christ's return, firstly, in secret for His saints, and finally in display of power and great glory. Also we have seen previously that there is no secret rapture for the saints, now we will proceed to see that there is no two phases of Christ's return but rather one major coming.

Jesus Himself said in (Matt. 13:30) referring to the parable of the wheat and tares; "Let both grow together until the Harvest," and in Verse 39 of the same chapter he says, "The harvest is the end of the world." From these two verses of Scriptures we see that both righteous and wicked as represented by the symbols of the wheat and the tares are said to be left to grow together until the end of the world. Therefore we see that the fact that both will grow together until the end shows that there will be NO separation of the righteous seven years before the end as the rapturist teaches. Both righteous and wicked will be upon the earth to see the return of Christ.

Therefore we see there will be no two phases of His return, as a result this major coming at the end of the world. And so fulfills that when Christ comes "Every eye shall see Him, both righteous and wicked that are alive in the time of harvest, including they that pierced Him." (Rev.1:7). "And then shall that wicked be revealed whom the lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." (2 Thes. 2:8). "And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men... hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said... "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb." (Rev. 6:15-17). "The hill melted like wax at the presence of the lord, at the presence of the lord of the whole earth... confounded be all they that serve graven idols...Zion heard and was glad." (Ps. 97:5-8). "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ph. 3:20). "And now little children abide in Him; that when He shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 Jn. 2:28). "Be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 1:13).

WHEN DOES THE ANTI-CHRIST APPEAR

We have seen that according to the rapture theory, the anti-Christ will not appear until after the saints are caught away seven years before the end of the world, and the rise of the anti-Christ initiates the great tribulation period. Let us now go into the Scriptures and disprove this theory.

In the second epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians, he states, "Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come (Christ's coming) except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth Himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped... For the MYSTERY OF INIQUITY DOTH ALREADY WORK... and then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." The words of Paul here reveal that Christ will not, come until after the reign of the anti-Christ. Therefore the anti-Christ will appear and has been and is in existence now, especially as we see the day approaching of the coming of Christ. Even in Paul's day, he recognized that the rise of the anti-Christ was already working when he said that the "mystery of iniquity doth already work". (Col. 2:8; 1 Jn. 4:1-3).

Paul while he lived had to combat the emerging spirit of the anti-Christ. However by the sixth_century A.C.B (538) the anti-Christ as was manifested in the development of the Papacy was fully matured, where it continued its reign for one thousand two hundred and sixty years terminating in the year seventeen, ninety-eight (1798), when one of its heads was wounded to death in the French Revolution in the 18th century. At present its deadly wound is being healed, (which takes in the full dominion of the Papacy over all the nations of the world). (Rev.,13:2-5). All these things are prophesied to take place before the coming of Christ, at which time the anti-Christ will be destroyed.

The apostle John also recognized the rising of the anti-Christ even in his days, when He also said speaking of the Spirit of anti-Christ . . . Whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now already is it in the world." (1 Jn. 4:3). And so, it is clearly revealed that the Holy Scriptures does not substantiate the appearance of the anti-Christ in the future after the rapture of the church in which He reigns for the period of seven years, during which the tribulation period takes places, before Christ returns, but rather the Scriptures reveals that Christ will not come until after the reign of the anti-Christ.

To establish this point much more, we will notice that the Scriptures again teaches a contradiction to the teachings of the rapture that implies the absence of the saints during the anti-Christ's reign and the great tribulation period. According to (Revelation 20:4) the apostle John states that he saw "The souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped the beast (anti-Christ) and His image, neither had received His mark upon their foreheads or in their hands, and they lived and reign with Christ a thousands years." Also according to (Revelation 7:13,14) John again speaks of the saints experience of the great tribulation when He said, "And one of the elders answered saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? . . . And I said unto him, sir thou knowest, and He said unto me, "These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

More than that, in (Revelation 6:9-11) is seen, the persecution of the saints in former times who were praying for the avenging of their souls by God and was told that they should rest yet a little season until their fellowservants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were (in the tribulation period just ahead of us) should be fulfilled." The Prophet Daniel likewise talked about the saints going through the great tribulation period before the coming of Christ when He said, "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the Great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be deliver, everyone that shall be found written in the book." (Dan. 12:1).

And finally Jesus Himself said, "For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should be no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake (saints) those days shall be shortened." (Matt. 24:21,22). And so to sum up the whole picture together we see the saints will go through the great tribulation period, where some will be matyred who refuse to worship the beast or the anti-Christ, which means that there is no rapture of the saints before the tribulation as a result the saints exist during the reign of the anti-Christ, which coincides together with Christ's words that the wheat and the tares grows together until the harvest which is the end of the world as is typified in the second coming of Christ which as already seen is for the coming of His saints both dead and living, which is not a secret coming but a coming attended with trumpets, thousands of angels and Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in power and Great Glory, at which time He destroys the anti-Christ with the brightness of His presence.

As a result the following admonitions are given to the saints who live in this period of the commencement of the establishment reign of the anti-Christ and the Great tribulation period. "Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:20). "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; For the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." (1 Pet. 5:8). "He that endureth unto the end shall be saved." "Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall shortly come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man." (Lk. 21:36). "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."

All these truths reveal the fallacy of the secret rapture theory. But to clarify this matter, the rapturist claim that after the rapture of the church there is to be another preaching of the gospel to those not raptured to be saved. Let us investigate the Scriptures on this matter.

NO SECOND CHANCE

The Holy Scriptures does not teach that a second chance will be given to those not raptured to be saved after Christ's coming. No where does it upholds this teaching, but rather teaches the following according to (2 Cor. 6:2) the Apostle Paul states; "Behold now is the accepted time, behold now Is the day of salvation." Furthermore the Scriptures continues; "For this shall everyone that is Godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found." (Ps. 32:6). "But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, 0 Lord in an acceptable time." (Ps. 69:13). "Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee and in a day of salvation have I helped thee." (Isa. 49:8). "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith), to day if ye will hear His voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation...." (Heb. 3:7,8). "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation." (Heb. 2:3). "The harvest (the end of the world) is past, the summer is ended, and we are NOT saved." (Jer. 8:20).

Thus saith the Lord! There is no second chance given unto any, now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation, in this day of the preaching of the three angels message, for John says in (Rev. 14:6)"...I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people." "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preach in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end (of the world) come." (Matt. 24:14). And so there is no second chance given to man for this gospel is to be preached unto all nations and people in this acceptable time for a witness and an opportunity to be saved, and then shall the end as typified by the second coming of Christ occur.

SOME MISINTERPRETED TEXTS AS USED BY THE RAPTURIST

TO PROVE THE RAPTURE THEORY

The rapturist claims that the teaching of the secret rapture is proven and is substantiated in the Holy Scriptures. But so far we have seen the Holy Scriptures plainly disproved this rapture theory. As a result what we are really faced with, is the misinterpretation of Bible texts by the rapturist. But before we proceed the investigation of these misinterpreted texts let me plainly say to the rapturist and all false teachers of doctrines, "If anyone shall take away from the Holy Scriptures, God shall take away his part out of the book of life and if anyone shall add unto the Holy Scriptures (private interpretations) God shall add unto him the plagues written in His Word," For the apostle Peter states "That no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation, nor by the will of man; but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet. 1:20). Therefore to add or take away from the Scriptures is to bear false witness against the Truth. Let us now view the texts that are used by the rapturist to disprove their theory.

The rapturist quotes (Matt. 24:40,41), it says "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left; two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left." This text in no way justifies the rapture theory, that states the saints will be raptured away secretly. Firstly the context of this passage is important. Jesus was here drawing a similarity between His coming and the days of Noe. He states that in Noe's day men were caught up in worldly pleasures, eating, drinking, marrying and given in marriage, until the day Noe entered the ark, the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of man be.

In Noe's day there were two classes, the righteous as represented by Noe and his family, and the wicked as represented by the unbelievers. Both classes were existing together in the world. But one was taken and the other left. The one that was taken was Noe and his family, taken away not in the sense that they were removed from the earth, but taken to be preserve by God from the flood. The other that was left, was the unbelievers and sinners, they were left to be destroyed by the flood. And so as in the days of Noe so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man. For a woman is symbolical of the church, (Jer. 6:2) therefore the two women is two churches classified as they that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus (saints) and they that worship the beast and its image and all the rest of the world wondered after the beast. (Rev. 13:4,15).

Therein lies the similarity between these days and that of Noe's. One again shall be taken and the other left. That which shall be taken will be the saints and that which shall be left is the sinners. (Matt. 25:32; 24:31; Rev. 6:15-17; Isa. 2:17-21). No where in this text does it upholds the secret rapture as some supernatural disappearance. We have seen that Christ said, "Let both grow together unto the harvest which is the end of the world." Therefore the Scriptures cannot contradict itself, if this means a separation of the righteous from the wicked. Hence the true meaning of the texts.

Another text that the rapturist use is the following: "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth." (Rev. 3:10). This text again does not uphold the rapture theory. Jesus explains the meaning when he prayed in the seventeenth chapter of John:"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Here Christ never prayed for the absence of the church from the world for He knew that they must endure unto the end to be saved. But He prayed that they will be kept by Grace from the evil that is in the world through lust. Therefore the keeping from the hour of temptation which shall come upon the whole world is the keeping from the evil of the world by Christ's sustaining grace. This is the true meaning of the text for John saw they that came out of the great tribulation. (Rev. 7:14; 20:4). This was the hour of temptation to try the whole world that the saints were kept from.

And finally the rapturist uses especially this text..."The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." (11 Pet. 3:10). Jesus again explains the meaning. In (Matt. 24:42,43) he says, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." (1 Pet. 3:9). Jesus explains the meaning. In (Matt. 24:42,43) He says, "Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your lord doth come... but know this that 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 be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

Jesus likened His coming to that of a thief's coming. The thief would come unexpectedly when the owners were not looking for Him. But the one who is looking for the thief would not be caught unawares. In (1 Thes. 5:2,3) Paul shows that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night so that when they are saying peace and safety sudden destruction cometh and then he adds; "But ye, brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief." (1 Thes. 5:4). Christ comes as a thief to the wicked of the earth and at that time to them, suddened destruction comes when "The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." (Rev. 6:14), how then could this earthwide cataclysm be a secret coming? The true impression of Christ's words that shows His coming as a thief in the night did not mean a secret coming, it merely meant that to the wicked He comes unknowingly because they are not looking for Him or expecting His coming, but the righteous knows when He is coming because they are looking for Him so He does not come as a thief to them, but as a deliverer. (Dan 12:1).

Now of the texts that have been investigated this is the sum, there is no grounds for the belief in a secret coming, those that use the above texts to claim such misapply them, Christ's coming is a cataclysmic event and all eyes shall see Him some not even knowing of this event.

A SMALL HISTORICAL NOTE ON THE ORIGIN OF

THE SECRET RAPTURE THEORY AND THE FUTURE

REVELATION OF THE ANTI-CHRIST

Like everything else this secret rapture theory and the future revelation of the anti-Christ had its beginning. I quote the following from a booklet called, "The Secret Rapture" an amazing facts publication. It states:

"At the time of the reformation most of the reformers understood the prophecy of the anti-Christ to refer to the great apostate system of Romanism that developed during the Middle ages. So great a hold did the conviction that the Papacy was the anti-Christ gain upon the minds of men that Rome at last saw she must bestir herself and try putting forth other systems of interpretation to counteract the identification of the Papacy with the anti-Christ . . . Accordingly, toward the close of the century of the Reformation, two of the most learned doctors set themselves to the task, each endeavoring by different means to accomplish the same end, namely that of diverting men's minds from perceiving the fulfillment of the prophecies of the anti-Christ in the Papal system. The Jesuit Alcasar devoted himself to bring into prominence the Preterist Method of Interpretation, . . . and thus endeavored to show that the prophecies of anti-Christ were fulfilled before the Popes ever ruled in Rome and therefore could not apply to the Papacy."

"On the other hand, the Jesuit Ribera tried to set aside the application of these prophecies to the Papal power by bring out the Futurist System, which asserts that these prophecies refer properly not to the career of the Papacy, but to some future supernatural individual, who is yet to appear and continue in power for three and a half years. Thus as Alford says the Jesuit Ribera about A.D. 1580 may be regarded as the founder of the Futurist System of modern times" Ibid..

And so the whole Theory of the secret rapture with its future anti-Christ had its-origin with the Jesuits in an attempt to take the blame off the Papacy. The origin of the two phases of the coming of Christ has an equally unsavory History. It was not until around the year 1830 that this view began to be taught in a church pastored by Edwin Irving, a Miss Margaret Mc Donald gave what was believed at the time as inspired utterance. She spoke of the visible open and glorious second coming of Christ. But as the utterance continued she spoke of another coming of Christ, A secret and special coming in which those that were truly ready would be raptured.

It was John Nelson Darby writer of the time in England, however who was largely responsible for introducing this new teaching on a large scale. The teaching spread to the United States in 1850's and 1860's where it was to receive its biggest boost when Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, a strong believer in Darby's teachings incorporated it into the notes of his 'Scofield Reference Bible' which was published in 1909. Since that time this view has been widely accepted.

And so 1ies the Historical Origin of the secret rapture theory and the future revelation of the anti-Christ. As one can now see the reason why the Scriptures do not teach such things because this teaching is really an invention of men, a teaching of the carnal nature of man, hence no biblical support on the matter.

CONCLUSION

And so my dear friends, as one can see that we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we reject this false doctrine of the secret rapture and its theory of its future coming anti-Christ. No where is it found in the holy Scriptures in the writings of none of the apostles because they never held this view. Those who hold this view completely unprepare themselves for what is coming upon the earth and as they know not what, nor know the preparation necessary, they suffer the risk of loosing their own souls.

The purpose of the Catholic Jesuits in inventing this rapture doctrine which they infiltrated the Protestant Churches with, was to take the evidences of anti-Christ off the Papacy and regulate it to the future, to another unrelated personage, thus they would be accepted as a Christian church, and would thus be accepted by the multitude ensuring their continuing existence; in all this the purposes of Satan would,be fulfilled, which is the substitution of this false Christ in the place of the true Christ of the Scriptures just as he did before the Protestant Reformation. This infernal doctrine has cast many people unto eternal destruction and so it will do to the multitudes of evangelicals that believe in it today.

It is not a truth of Christ, it is a doctrine of devils thus those who in the light of the Truth advocate it hath not the Father and the Son and they do a work of the evil one. Evangelicals must learn to appreciate and accept Truth whenever and wherever they hear it, they must learn to make radical changes from one position to another when they hear the Truth, this Christ will help them to do, because it is not a custom nor experience of their religion. The Spirit of truth therefore urge men and women everywhere to give up this Babylonian Doctrine, to come out of Babylon and follow Christ; to come out of this falsehood is to accept an efficacious doctrine that actually prepares one to live a holy sinless life here on earth and accept protection from God on the basis of obedience to His holy law of ten commandments, those who hate the law of God will therefore love this Secret Rapture doctrine. Amen.

Published and prepared by the services of THUSIA (SDA) September, 1987. For more information write to: P.O. Box 98538 873, Jane Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6N 5A6

siracus@idirect.com

The Elijah Messenger