Different Opinions
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There are many different Opinions
There are many different Opinions
No Rapture (Noah Rapture)
No Rapture (Noah Rapture)
Held by Dr Jeffery Weima (Calvary Seminary)
Believes that Rapture is a mistaken idea.
He is a leading voice on Thessalonians. He understands their culture and word usage very well and teaches over these things.
Dr. Weima takes to a word study and how these words are used specifically within the culture and in the NT.
Break down:
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Focus on these words:
with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trumpet call of God
Dr Weima says that rapture will not be a secret event where Christians disappear and the rest of the world is wondering what happened. Instead these words point to a very loud, very public, and very noticable event.
This event, spoken of in Thessalonians, will affect ALL people.
He contends that the word Harpazo, which we render as rapture, does mean to snatch away. We get the word Harpoon here. But concludes that the word is always used to ‘snatch away from life to death’. It is used regarding people are die early and are snatched away from the advantages of life (marriage, children, education, etc…).
Ancient funeral inscriptions in Greek speak how fate has ‘snatched away’ the living to the place Hades.
Dr. Weima says that Paul likely chose the word Harpazo, not to describe a literal ‘snatching away’ or rapture; but rather as a pun or inversion of the commonly used word.
Christians are not snatched away from life to death, but rather from life to life; as Christians do not face death.
He joins Harpazo with another greek word used in Thessalonians, apantesis. This word is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 “Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
Meet the Lord in the air.
This word is used both secularly and in the NT as a meeting party outside of a city. Special people are chosen, they meet a renown guest, a dignitary, someone special, outside of the city, and then this party escorts the renown guest into the city. This renown guest then has the opportunity to pardon those he chooses to pardon, or condemn those he chooses to condemn.
The word is used in other places of Scripture as well:
Parable of the wise and foolish virgins
“In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’
Paul’s arrival in rome
Now the brothers and sisters from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
He contends that this means that the church plays a honored role. We are the delegation party that meets Jesus in the air. BUT instead of going to heaven for any period of time, the church escorts Jesus to earth, where Jesus rules over a restored creation.
Now I call this the NOAH rapture because his big connection with Scripture, the idea that Scripture interprets Scripture, comes from Jesus speaking regarding Noah.
As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.
You can also find this in the Gospel of Luke.
In Noah’s time:
Those raptured were unbelievers who perished in the flood.
Those who remained were not rapture and lived in the ark.
Basically: Dr Weima says we should desire to be left behind.
Why I reject this:
Why I reject this:
Those who hold to this view are many. You can do a search and will discover that it gain popularity and has spread far and wide. BUT you can also trace the origin.
THe original publication was by a gentleman names Erik Peterson. In 1929 he wrote Die Einholung Des Kyrios. On Pages 682-702 he develops this thought. By simple multiplication of citation in works, this fringe belief became ‘commonly accepted’, even though it is very new and has very little actual warranted support.
I think Moody sums it up best:
A study of Peterson’s own work and an analysis of the use of the word he ascribes as ‘to meet’ in Greek, demonstrates that his technical use of this word is false. Only a few times is this word actually used to reference some dignitary meeting part.
Philo Judaeus uses this word 27 times, none reference a meeting party.
Josephus uses the words 92 times, and only 10 times does it reference a formal reception.
And in the Lexicon, it is used to describe hostile armies meetings, and virtually any other kind of meeting.
ALSO:
This would mean either the Tribulation does not happen, or we are in the midst of it. But we are already promised to be saved from the wrath that is coming.
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
So the Christians will be spared the wrath, but the unbeliever will not be spared.
by keeping us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are constantly filling up their sins to the limit, and wrath has overtaken them at last.
What wrath?
The wrath of the Lamb.
And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,