The Rapture of the Church

by James C. Morris – www.tojesusbeallglory.com/p/james-c-morris.html 

For Christians of the present time, all other prophetic events pale into nothingness beside this one great event, which the scriptures speak of in numerous places. Jesus spoke of it, saying, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3) But we also read, “that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

In the first passage above our Lord says “I will come again and receive you to Myself.” The second one speaks of “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” It is obvious that His coming to receive us to Himself has to take place before His coming “with all His saints.” The words used by the Holy Spirit do not allow any other conclusion. But how long before “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints,” will He “come again and receive” us to Himself?

The answer to this question begins with the promise, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

The Greek word translated from in this verse is εκ, ek in our alphabet, word number 1537 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary. This Greek word indeed means from, but in the sense of away from or out of. Some imagine that this only means out of the “hour of trial” after having been in it. But in this phrase, that interpretation is excluded by the word “keep.” In the Greek, this word is τηρησσω, teresso in our alphabet, a future form of the Greek word τηρηο, tereo in our alphabet, word number 5083 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary. This Greek word literally means to guard, but in the scriptures was usually used in the sense of our English word keep, and is so translated more than two-thirds of the times it occurs in the Greek text of the New Testament. So it is clear that the real meaning of this promise is to be kept out of “the hour of trial.” ¹

But what is this “the hour of trial” that they will be kept out of? The Greek word translated hour in this passage is ωρας, horas in our alphabet, a genitive singular form of the Greek word ωρα, hora in our alphabet, word number 5610 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary. This Greek word literally means hour, but is often used figuratively for a short period of time. As our Lord told those that came to arrest Him in the garden, “this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” (Luke 22:53) And as He had told His own a few hours rearlier, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” (John 12:27)

But what hour are they promised to be kept out of? It is not just some general period of time. It is a specific one. It is “the hour of trial.” It is specifically called “the hour,” for the word “the” is in the Greek text, as the word της, tes in our alphabet. This is a genitive singular form of the Greek word ὁ, ho in our alphabet, ² word number 3588 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary, which literally means “the.” But what “hour of trial” is this specific time that they are they promised to be kept out of? It is “the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

There is a specific “hour of trial” coming “to test those who dwell on the earth.” When we see the reason this hour is coming we understand the term “hour of trial.” For the Greek word translated to test here is πειρασαι, peirasai in our alphabet. This is an infinitive form of the Greek word πειραξο, peirazo in our alphabet. This is word number 3985 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary, and in the infinitive mood, it literally means exactly as it is translated, to test. So we see that this scripture explicitly tells us that there is a particular time of testing coming, and that the purpose of that time is “to test those who dwell on the earth.” Its purpose is not to test the saints of God, but “those who dwell on the earth.” This is a moral class, those whose hearts are on the earth, rather than on heaven. This moral class of people is mentioned in these words eight times in the Revelation, ³ and always negatively.

But we are also told where this time of testing will come. It “shall come upon the whole world.” The Greek word translated whole in this clause is ολης, holes in our alphabet, a singular form of the Greek word ολος, holos in our alphabet, word number 3650 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary. This Greek word literally means whole, or all, that is, complete. That is, there is no part of the world that will be exempted from this time of testing. So there is coming a specific time of testing, and it is coming upon the whole world. But the Lord’s own are promised that they will be kept out of that time of testing. Now if this time is coming upon the whole world, but the Lord’s own will be “kept out of” it, they cannot be in the world during that time of testing. Thus we see that Revelation 3:10 tells us that the Lord’s own will be removed from the earth before this time of testing begins.

We see this again in a passage about Noah and Lot. “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” (2 Peter 2:4-9)

Here the Holy Spirit gives us two specific examples, Noah and Lot, both of whom were physically removed from the scene of judgment before it took place. Then, in the context of these two examples, He said, “then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” (2 Peter 2:9)

Thus the Holy Spirit showed His intention to “deliver the godly out of temptations” by physically removing them from the scene “of temptations” before these “temptations” take place, just as He did for Noah and Lot. The Greek word here translated “out of” is the same ek, that we saw translated as “from” in Revelation 3:10, whose normal meaning is from in the sense of away from or out of, and the Greek word translated “temptations” is peirasmou, the singular form of the peirasmon that we saw in Revelation 3:10 This Greek word does not mean, or even imply, trouble, but literally means testing. There are no accidents in the precise wording of scripture. The fact that the Holy Spirit used these same two Greek words in these two parallel passages is highly significant.

Again, we read of the coming of “the man of sin.” The Holy Spirit said “And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8) In this scripture the Holy Spirit said “you know what is restraining.” He did not say “you should know,” or “you ought to know.” He said “you know.” This makes it plain that he was speaking of Himself. No other possible restrainer could be so obvious He did not need to be named.

We are told that “He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” How can this be, when Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) One scripture tells us “the Spirit of truth”is given “that He may abide with you forever.” The other says that He will be “taken out of the way.” How can one who will “abide with you forever” be “taken out of the way?”

We read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” The Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth,”is truly given “that He may abide with you forever.” But Jesus, “the Lord Himself,” will also “descend from heaven” and catch us up “to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

This event has to be the time when the Holy Spirit is “taken out of the way.” This is because the saints of God will be removed from this earth, yet the Holy Spirit will be with them forever. It is therefore plain that the Holy Spirit will be “taken out of the way” at the same time the saints of God will be “caught up... in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” But it is only after that happens that “the lawless one will be revealed.” For we remember that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8) So this scripture, which shows that the Holy Spirit will be “taken out of the way” before the Antichrist, “the lawless one,” will be revealed thereby shows that the rapture has to take place before that time.

We see this again in the parable of the ten virgins, where we read that “the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” (Matthew 25:10-12) here we plainly see “those who were ready” taken into “the wedding,” while “the other virgins” are held outside a door that remains closed in spite of their pleading. The fact that the door remains closed for those that were not “ready” is highlighted in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, where we are told that “they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” But we need to remember that this is after “those who were ready went in with him to the wedding.” That is, after the rapture.

This is again highlighted in Revelation 19, where we read of the marriage of the Lamb taking place in heaven, “ ‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” ’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’ ” (Revelation 19:7-9)

We need to notice that, in the order of the events described in Revelation 19, this comes immediately after the celebration in verses 1-6 of the judgment of “the great harlot,” the false bride of Christ, and just before the Lord goes forth from heaven in verses 11-16 as the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,” followed by the armies of heaven, which are “clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (verse 14) But we had just been told (in verse 8) that “the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” This agrees perfectly with the statement from Matthew 25:10 that “the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding.” For “the marriage of the Lamb” could not take place in heaven until after “His wife” (Revelation 19:7) had arrived in heaven.

This is made even more plain in Luke 12:35-37, where we read, “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” Here, we see the “master” “return from the wedding.” But He could not “return from the wedding” unless the wedding had already taken place before He returned. So this again shows that “the marriage of the Lamb” has to take place before the Lord comes as described in Luke 12.

But there is another reason for this understanding, found, not in the New Testament, but in the prophecies of the Old Testament. To understand this reason, we first need to notice Daniel 9:24, where we read:

“²⁴ Seventy weeks are determined

For your people and for your holy city,

To finish the transgression,

To make an end of sins,

To make reconciliation for iniquity,

To bring in everlasting righteousness,

To seal up vision and prophecy,

And to anoint the Most Holy.”

The next two verses dscribe sixty-nine of these “weeks” that will take place “from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince.” (Daniel 9:25) Then in verse 27, we are explicitly told of a drastic event that will take place “in the middle of the week.” This event divides the seventieth week into two half weeks, which are seen no less than six times in the prophetic scriptures. They are spoken of as “a time, times, and half a time,” (three and a half years) as “forty-two months,” (again, three and a half years) and as “one thousand two hundred and sixty days,” (exactly three and a half Hebrew years, which were composed of twelve months of thirty days each.) So his seventieth “week” is indeed a major theme of the prophetic scriptures, and has come to be generically called “the tribulation.”

But who are these “seventy weeks “determined” for? We read that they are “determined For your people and for your holy city.” These words were spoken to Daniel. And Daniel’s “people” were unquestionably the Jews, and his “holy city” was unquestionably Jerusalem. So this seventieth week, which we generically call “the tribulation,” being one of the “seventy weeks,” was explicitly stated to be “determined for” the Jews, and Jerusalem. This period, which is a central theme in Bible prophecy, was not “determined for” the church it was “determined for” the Jews and Jerusalem. And through the rest of the book of Daniel, as throughout the writings of the three major prophetts that preceded him and the twelve minor prophets that came after him, the church is never mentioned, even once. And the same thing is seen in the book of Revelation. The period we generially all “the tribulation, along with its preparatory period, fills the book of Revelation from the end of chapter four until the beginning of chapter 20. And throughout this large block of Bible prophecy, the church is never mentioned, even once.

When we consider Daniel 9:24, we realize why the church is never mentioned in any of these many prophecies. It is because this period is not “determined for” the church. It is “determined for” the Jews and Jerusalem. And that is why the church is removed before this period begins. The purpose of this removal is not, as many imagine, to protect the church from persecution. It is because the central purpose of the seventieth “week” has nothing to do with the church. It is directed toward a different group. And that group is the Jews and Jerusalem, not the church.

Finally, in Revelation 4:4 we read, “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.” As there were twelve tribes in Israel and twelve apostles, this seems to indicate the presence of all the Old Testament and New Testament saints of God already in heaven before the beginning of the seal and trumpet visions of Revelation six through nine. And thus, it appears to indicate that the rapture will taken place before anything symbolized in those visions will take place.

Almost all objections to this conclusion are based on a rank assumption that our Lord will only return one time. No scripture says this, but they interpret numerous scriptures to mean it. The error of ths rank assumption is treated in the next article, titled “A Scriptural Precedent.”

But there is one argument against this conclusion that we need to treat here. Many wrest the central message of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, where we read, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” These people claim that the Greek word απαντησιν, apantesin in our alphabet, (a form of word number 529 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary) which is translated “to meet” in this passage, referred to a formal reception in which people went out to greet a coming dignitary and escort him back into the city. But this claim about the meaning of this Greek word, although widely circulated among modern theologians, is incorrect. Its error is demonstrated at length in the second article after this one, titled “A Widely Circulated Error About the Greek Word Translated “to meet” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.”

Further, this interpretation cannot be correct because, as we noted earlier, in John 14:2-3, we read, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” In this scripture, our Lord first refers to His Father’s house, saying “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” He then says that he is going “to prepare a place for you.” From this statement it is plain that the place to which He was going “to prepare a place for you” was His “Father’s house.” So He said He was going to His “Father’s house,” “to prepare a place for you.” So His “Father’s house” is where He will “prepare for you.” And, as that is where He has prepared “a place for” us, it is where He take us when He “will come again, and receive you unto” Himself. “That where I am, there ye may be also.” This scripture does not present a picture of coming, picking us up along the way, and taking us with Himself to another place. It presents a picture of coming to get us and taking us back to where he came from, that is, His “Father’s house.” That is where He has gone “to prepare a place” for us. That is where He is, and that is where he will take us, for the stated purpose of this coming is “that where I am, there you may be also.”

 

1 To really understand this, we need to consider another promise made concerning a similar time period. The Lord said to Israel, “Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:6-7) In this case, the Hebrew word translated saved is יָשע, yasha’ in our alphabet, word number 3467 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary. This Hebrew word means saved in the sense of succor. In the KJV, this Hebrew word is rendered save 149 times, deliver 13 times, help 12 times, and once as rescue. We notice this to clearly understand that this Hebrew word carries an entirely different sense from the Greek word tereo used in Revelation 3:10. In one case, the Lord promised to help some of His own get through their designated time of trouble. In the other, He promised to keep others of His own out of a time of testing designed for others.

It is also significant to consider a third group mentioned concerning this period. In Revelation 7:9, John saw “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Then, a few verses later, we read, “ Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know." So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ ” (Revelation 7:13-14) Here the words “come out of” are a translation of the Greek word ερχομενοι εκ. The Greek word ερχομενοι, erchomenoi in our alphabet, is a present form of the Greek word ερχομαι, erchomai in out alphabet, word number 2064 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary, which means to come or go, in a great variety of applications. And we have already seen the meaning of the Greek word εκ. So one group is promised that “I will keep you” (out of) “the hour of trial.” A second group was promised to be helped “out of” “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” And a third group will “come out of the great tribulation.” Only the last two groups will go through this time.

2 Unlike English, in both Biblical Greek and Hebrew, definite articles are normally used only for stress. If the word “the” is in the original text of any part oof the Bible, it means the thing being referred to is a particular thing, not just something in general.

3 See Revelation 3:10, 11:10, 13:8, 13:12, 13:14 (twice) 14:6 and 17:8 Also see “inhabitants of the earth” in Revelation 12:12.