The Rapture--teaching of men and doctrine of demons

Matt 15:9 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" 

So why, then, have so many good Christian people fallen for the relatively new teaching of The Rapture? 

The Rapture (a word found nowhere in Scripture) was totally unheard of until the late 1800s, when it was put forth by John Nelson Darby, a 19th century Irish lawyer turned Anglican preacher. He was the first to develop a theology that incorporated the teaching that Jesus would return secretly (His "second" coming) to rapture His true followers, leaving the rest behind to be ruled by an evil antichrist for seven years, and then return again (His "third" coming) in a visible, glorious coming to destroy antichrist, save those who were converted during the seven-year tribulation, and establish His own kingdom.  This makes it a tradition of men (a precept of Darby almost 2000 years after the establishment of Christianity, AND a Doctrine of Demons, because it takes away from the Glory of Christ's 2nd coming). 

Jesus will be coming back to earth one more time, not two or more.

 The Rapture requires a second coming (the Rapture), and a third coming (the end of the world). Some try to get past this by claiming that the Rapture is not the Second Coming, because we meet Jesus in the air and not on the earth. But even the verses used to support the Rapture, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:15, speak of it as "the coming", which indicates that it is a coming, and a singular event at that.  

1 Thessalonians 4:15: "For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep."  Matthew 24:27: "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of man." 1 Corinthians 15:22-23: "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive". But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming, those who belong to Christ. 1 Thessalonians 2:19: "For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming?"Jesus must stay in heaven until that time. That leaves no time for the Rapture before the end of the world.  

Acts 3:19-21: "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from old."  When He comes He will be coming all the way down to the earth. He won't be hovering over it, as the Rapture requires. Acts 1:9-11: "And when He had said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven'."  When He comes, He will be coming to judge the living and the dead. Once again, if all are going to be judged, that would leave no one on earth.  Matthew 25:31-46: "When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'…Then He will say to those at His left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels'…And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

But what about the Bible verses that Rapturists use to defend this false teaching?--One of the passages used to support belief in the Rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:17: "Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." This simply speaks about the end of the world, when Jesus returns. It was (and still is) a common practice for a King's supporters to go out to greet him as he enters the city--as shown in Scripture, with Jesus on Palm Sunday--He was ushered into Jersalem. 1 Thes 4:17 only says that Christ is returning, and His followers will go out to usher Him back. Nowhere does it state that He will then turn around and take them with Him back to Heaven--That is a tradition of men--started by Darby. 

Now, what about those famous verses that tell about being taken or left behind?  Matt 24 is one of the commonly used pro-Rapture Scriptures. It says: "40  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

 But put it into context! That story opens with verse 36: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

 Oh my!! it is the bad who are taken, and the good are left behind--go figure. 

The parallel text to this is Luke 17 and Rapturists will start with 34: "I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left." 

But again--put it in context. The story begins with verse 26: "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and took them all away. 28 It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all."

Verse 37 even tells where those who are taken will go, " 'Taken where, Lord?' they asked. He replied, 'Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather'." 

In conclusion, the Scriptures teach us the following: • Jesus will be coming back to earth one more time not two.• Jesus must stay in heaven until that time.• When He comes, He will be coming all the way down to the earth.• When He comes, He will be coming to judge the living and the dead. 

Personally, with all respect due Mr. Darby, I think I'd rather be left behind, thank you!!