The Irrefutable Proof of Rapture in Scripture

[james1523]

The modern day concept of a worldwide rapture as a specific future event is unclear in Scripture, although it may be implied from certain Bible verses. Largely, this view stemmed from prophetic and charismatic dreams, visions or personal inspiration and so it's authenticity is questionable.

However the matter of rapture itself as a possibility for any person, in any time and any location, is an irrefutable Scriptural fact:

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: "He could not be found, because God had taken him away." For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

Enoch walked in close fellowship with God for his whole life, about 300 years. Then he was taken away, or raptured, without seeing death.

The modern day concept is that we must wait with some expectation for some specific time in future when God will rapture all Christians.

This concept is wrong however, since it has been, is and will be possible for any and every Christian to be raptured since Christ until now and until Christ returns.

We fail to realize that its occurrence is conditional upon our readiness. So while we are waiting for "it" to happen, we fail to realize we should be doing something.

There will be no rapture, future or not, unless we meet certain conditions:

It requires a) close intimate walk with God.
This is different from occasional fellowship with God during morning devotional or prayer time. This means a constant and continual walk with God. This implies complete denial of self and complete realization of God.

It requires b) FAITH! (Hebrews 11:5)

It requires c) To be one who pleases God.
This does not mean pleasing God by much devotion, service, or activity. By the example of Enoch, the main way we please God is by walking with Him continually.

and finally

It must be d) According to God's will.
We must not think we have "arrived" at such a state that God will or must rapture us at any moment. To die physically, even to suffer as a martyr is the norm, and if God does not choose to rapture someone does not mean they are any less pleasing to Him.

If there is a future rapture event, we can say that
a) it is conditional
b) it is not necessarily world wide
c) it is very rare (In the whole bible, there is only one or two raptured: Enoch and Elijah, plus possibly more that are not recorded in Scripture).

A future rapture of the church is a goal to attain to, not a given event to be waited for, or expected, as if it will happen regardless of our condition.

Every prophetic fulfillment in Scripture is conditional upon the condition and readiness of the Church. So few of God's people actually entered the Promised Land.

If any future rapture occurs, it may happen to only as few as 5 or 10 people worldwide. From God's point of view, He only needs to use a few people to be able to say that a certain prophecy is fulfilled or accomplished.

We should not presume that we will be part of a rapture merely on the basis of us becoming a child of God by faith in Christ.

The prophetic revelation of a future worldwide rapture, is the expectation or hope that the majority of believers will walk in close fellowship with God and attain to such a state that they will be raptured. (Unlike salvation) it is not necessarily a declared covenant promise of God that He must carry out at some future point in time regardless of our condition. We can consider rapture to be a reward given by God to those who please Him the most.

A view that we want to be raptured so that we don't taste or experience death or suffering should not be entertained - this view is a prosperity gospel type view that is largely about self-preservation and soulish comfort.

 

[lawrenceb]

Some people believe that Enoch did not die but was taken directly to heaven where God is. But, Enoch eventually died, as all humans die. How can we know? The apostle Paul mentioned the circumstances associated with Enoch in Hebrews 11:5, along with other men of faith, and then stated: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises" (Hebrews 11:13). Yes, Enoch died, and he did not receive the promise of heaven (verse 16) at the time the book of Hebrews was written.

Based on Hebrews 11:5,13 and Jesus’ statement in John.3:13, "no man hath ascended up to heaven", how are we to understand the account of Enoch? Genesis 5:21-24 says that Enoch's days, alive on Earth, ended at 365 years old. The question is, did he die, was he taken to heaven alive, or was he transported to another location on Earth?

Let us examine the bold phrase in Genesis 5:24, where it says, "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" and compare the same Hebrew phrase in:

Psalms 37:36, "Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found."

Psalms 39:13, "O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more."

The Hebrew for the phrases in bold are the same Hebrew as Genesis 5:24. As in the Psalms, the phrase means the person "passed away" or would eventually die. Let’s look at the same phrase in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 42:13, "And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not." This was spoken by his brothers of Joseph. What’d they mean by "is not"?

Genesis 44:20, "And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him." Here, the brothers recount their previous discussion about Joseph with Pharaoh. When they first said, "and one is not," they meant Joseph "is dead."

Matthew 2:18, "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." Where were Rachel's children? Dead.

Hebrews 11:5, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him:" Does the phrase that says Enoch "should not see death" mean Enoch never died? Hebrews 11:13, "These all died [including Enoch] in faith." But not only that, verse 13 goes on to say that they did not receive the promises. One of the promises was a heavenly country (verse 16). If Enoch were in heaven, wouldn't he have received that promise?

Psalms 89:48, "What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah." Why would this Psalmist ask such a question concerning physical death if he believed Enoch did not see a physical death? The fact is, the Psalmist believed Enoch was in the grave and therefore asked this question.

So what does the phrase "should not see death" mean? Notice it is not in the present tense, that he "did not see" death, but that he "should not see death." John 8:51, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" [see also John 11:26]. This phrase must mean "the second death," since all the Apostles kept Jesus’ sayings and yet died the first death.

Based on Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" and Hebrews 11:13, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises," we must conclude that Enoch died the first death. To believe Enoch did not die is to deny the plain word of many other scriptures as well. For example, Romans 5:12, "...so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" and Romans 5:14, "...death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned." Are we to believe that Enoch did not sin? Are we to believe that a man who was not yet cleansed of sin by the blood of Jesus could enter heaven and dwell in God's presence?

But what about his translation in Hebrews 11:5? Does that mean he didn’t die? That’s what most people carelessly assume without proof. The Bible does not say that Enoch went to heaven when he was translated. Instead, it says he "was not found." According to Strong's, Thayer's and Bullinger's Greek Lexicons, "translate" means "to put or place in another place, to transport, to transfer." Nowhere in the Scripture does ‘translate’ mean to make immortal!

The same Greek word is rendered "carried over" in Acts 7:16 where Jacob's body was ‘translated’ or ‘transported’ to Sychem, where he was buried! The Scriptures say Jacob was translated to the place of burial! God took Enoch and buried him somewhere so as not to be found, just as he did with the body of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:6. No man knows where Moses' or Enoch’s grave is. God hid them for reasons known only to Him.

Notice another proof that ‘translate’ does not mean to make immortal. Paul wrote that the Father "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). The apostle Paul says that he was already translated, even though he was still physically alive! Although he was once part of the darkness of this world, he was translated, removed from darkness, into the light of the kingdom of God while he was physically alive!

At the age of 65, Enoch had a son named Methuselah. But how long did Enoch walk with God?

Genesis 5:22, "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters."

So, Enoch followed God’s ways for three hundred years. Notice that the Scripture does not record that Enoch is still walking with God. It says that Enoch WALKED with God for three hundred years, and not one year more. Why? Because "all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years" (Genesis 5:23). Paul says, in Colossians 1:10, "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord." Enoch walked with God and pleased God. This is what Genesis 5:22,24 means when it says "Enoch walked with God."

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says that all die and all shall be resurrected, but Messiah must be first in the order. Enoch could not possibly have preceded him, especially if he were still flesh and blood as it says in verses 49-52.

The only remaining texts that puzzle people are those relative to the appearances of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, Luke 9:28-36). After the Transfiguration, Jesus said, while leaving the mountain, "Tell the vision to no man" (Matthew 17:9). Jesus calls the transfiguration a vision! A vision is not a material reality, but a supernatural picture observed by the eyes. The same Greek word for "vision" was used of Peter's vision of the unclean beasts being made clean (Acts 10:3,17,19; 11:5). They were not real but a supernatural picture. In the case of the transfiguration it was a prophetic vision which would take place in the future. Peter, James and John saw the Son of Man glorified in the Kingdom through a prophetic vision. Here are other examples:

Acts 16:9, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us." This also is something that was to happen in the future.

Acts 18:9-10, "Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city." Jesus is telling Paul that, in the near future, no man shall hurt him.

Visions should not be interpreted as literal. For example, look at Genesis 37:5-10. When Joseph dreamed that his "sheaf arose, and stood upright," and his brother’s sheaves bowed down to Joseph’s sheaf (verse 7), Or when Joseph dreamed that "the sun and the moon and the eleven stars" bowed down to Joseph (verse 9), is this literal? No. This was a prophetic vision of something that was to occur in the future; when Joseph’s mother, father, and brothers would bow down to him as King.

Both Moses and Elijah were still in their graves, but in vision both they and Jesus were seen in glory of the resurrection, and event to which Moses and Elijah have not yet attained at that time (Hebrews 11:39). The vision was granted the disciples after Jesus had spoken of the glory of immortality in the coming Kingdom.

 

[james1523]

Hebrews 11:13 only refers to those to whom something was promised. That is, only Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah—not Enoch or Abel.
Nothing was promised to Enoch or Abel, therefore Hebrews 11:13 does not refer to Enoch. There is no proof that Enoch died, to the contrary the Scripture makes special mention that He did not see death.

 

[lawrenceb]

Although significant numbers of "believers" recoil at the term cultist, it is very instructive to recognize how many characteristics that are classically identified with the term cult may be applied to rapturists. Cult experts everywhere have noted that one must be very careful in communicating with such people because terms that mean one thing to most Christians frequently mean quite another to an individual that has had his decision-making process impaired through spiritual deception.

To put it another way, one of the the primary difficulties found in any interaction with a cultist is that people that are programmed into a particular mindset attach meanings to words that others would not perceive in the same way. When you're talking with a rapture cultist, you both may speak English - but he/she frequently does not hear your words with the meaning attached to the concept that you intended to convey. The word "rapture" itself is a prime example.

Regarding the OP, as I've clearly proven with scripture, "there is no proof that Enoch" was...

...raptured, without seeing death.

And which "death" (physical, or spiritual) would this be...

There is no proof that Enoch died, to the contrary the Scripture makes special mention that He did not see death.

Rather, notice it is not in the present tense, that he "did not see" death, but that he "should not see death." John 8:51, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" [see also John 11:26]. This phrase must mean "the second death," since all the Apostles kept Jesus’ sayings and yet died the first death.

Based on Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" and Hebrews 11:13, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises," we must conclude that Enoch died the first death. To believe Enoch did not die is to deny the plain word of many other scriptures as well. For example, Romans 5:12; "...so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" and Romans 5:14, "...death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned." Are we to believe that Enoch did not sin? Are we to believe that a man who was not yet cleansed of sin by the blood of Jesus could enter heaven and dwell in God's presence?