The Rapture

[Nate]

The Pre-Tribulation rapture, or "Pre-Trib", is the belief that the rapture will occur at the beginning of the 70th Week of Daniel, the final seven years of this age. Christian believers will be translated into immortal bodies in the rapture before the great persecutions by the Antichrist as he comes into his Beast role midway through the final seven years. According to this view, the Christian Church that existed prior to that seven-year period has no vital role during the seven years of Tribulation. Those people who accept Christ after the Rapture will be martyred for their faith during the Tribulation. The apostle John is seen in Revelation 4:1 as representing the Church caught up to Heaven. John hears the Trumpet and a voice that says, "Come up hither", and he is translated in the Spirit to Heaven and then sees what will happen for those left on earth. The pre-tribulation rapture is the most widely held position among American Evangelical Christians

This comes from Wikipedia. Most of christianity believes in the rapture as the start of the 7 year tribulation to precede the second coming. What is the LDS view on the rapture? What is the LDS view on the start of the "tribulation". Obviously some of the events foretold we are in the beginning stages but the stuff has not hit the fan and something drastic will happen to propel events forward towards the events in holy writ.

[Outshined]

http://theboard.byu.edu/index.php?area=pos...6.11&archives=1

QDear 100 Hour Board,

What do LDS leaders teach about the rapture? Having grown up in a mostly protestant area, I always wondered that. I saw the movie "Left Behind" recently and was reminded of it. What does the LDS Church teach about the scriptures from which the rapture beliefs were drawn? What is the interpretation?

- Wondering Direct Link to Question

ADear Wondering,

The LDS Church really does not have much to say about "rapture". Finding myself with some spare time at a certain local library (big surprise there), I perused some LDS doctrinal books looking for this topic. It does not appear as an entry in Mormon Doctrine or The Encyclopedia of Mormonsim, nor is it indexed in Millenial Messiah, The Prophets Have Spoken, Bookcraft's Doctrines of Salvation (Teachings of the Prophets) series, the Journal of Discourses, Donald Parry's Understanding the Signs of The Times, B.H. Roberts' The Truth, Way, and Light, or sundry other sources including lds.org's search engine.

I couldn't find much about it in general Christian reference books either, including the multi-volume Encyclopedia of Religion and the Oxford Companion to Christian Thought. Rapture does appear, however, on the internet (of course) and in a couple of "end-of-the-world-Christianity" type books I found that were rather in the vein of the "Left Behind" series. Draw your own conclusions, people.

The only LDS work that I could find that even mentioned rapture was Dan Erickson's As a Thief In the Night. In a footnote he explains the origin of the rapture doctrine:

"...This new premillenialism, termed dispensationalism, developed a distinct interpretation of millennial theology believing that when Christ returns Christians would be removed for their safety. This event, called Rapture, could happen at any moment. Dating back to John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren in 1830 England, the uniqueness of the Rapture doctrine was its dividing the return of Christ into two phases: first, Christ would appear at the Rapture for the true believing Christians; then, after seven years of tribulation, he would return with the Christians. Dispensationalism gained prominence at the end of the nineteenth century and was the beginning of many modern-day fundamentalist movements" (Erickson 51n38).

The concept of rapture is essentially taken from Thessalonians 4:16-17: "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." As Erickson describes in his footnote, some Christian denominations have taken this scripture to mean that Christ will catch up his people up to seven years PRIOR to when he comes in glory to reign, thus allowing them to avoid the "tribulation." (The amount of time believed to elapse from the rapture to his coming in glory depends on which camp of rapture doctrine a particular person belongs to.)

Obviously rapture according to that definition doesn't exactly jibe with LDS beliefs about the Second Coming. I assume that the Church has not commented on it much simply because it doesn't quite adhere to LDS beliefs about the last days. Kind of like how we have a sacrament, but don't believe or spend much time discussing the doctrine of transubstantiation.

As for what we LDS do believe about the last days and the Second Coming, I'd recommend you read books like Bruce R. McConkie's series The Millenial Messiah or Donald Parry's Understanding the Signs of the Times. We do believe, thanks to modern revelation, that Christ will appear on a number of occasions before he appears in glory to reign over the earth. However, unlike those who believe in the doctrine of rapture, we do not believe he will carry the righteous away with him on any of his visits prior to the battle of Armageddon. To give you some information now, though, I consulted Mormon Doctrine as well as my family's resident eschatologist, my extremely cool and very helpful mom. Here are some scriptural and doctrinal references about Christ's appearances that I gathered from both:

**Christ will appear at his temple (Malachi 3:1) -- Christ visited the Kirtland Temple and, as Bruce R. McConkie writes in Mormon Doctrine, "it may well be that he will come again, suddenly to others of his temples, more particularly that which will be erected in Jackson County" (McConkie 694).

**Christ will appear at the great conference at Adam-ondi-Ahman (Daniel 7:9-14) -- here Christ will receive the stewardship of the earth from Adam and be acknowledged as the rightful ruler of the earth, paving the way for him to return to reign in glory.

**Christ will appear at the Mount of Olives at the Battle of Armageddon (D&C 133:20, D&C 45:48, Zech 12:8-9, 14:3-4) -- Zechariah 14:3-4 reads: "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."

Further scriptures discuss what will happen when Christ returns in glory: Revelations 19:11-14; D&C 133:48-52,56; D&C 45:49.

Incidentally, D&C 88:96 also discusses the saints being "caught up" to meet Christ, but that is specifically in reference to the saints of the first resurrection (rising after the first trump), not to saints BEFORE He appears in glory. I think that's the best answer to how "we" would interpret the scriptures from which the rapture beliefs were drawn.

[Nate]

Outstanding! Thanks

[Traveler]

I personally do not believe in the basic concept of the Rapture. I believe it is necessary for good people to be martyred and seal their testimonies with their lives as has been done in past ages (See Ecc. 1:9). I believe this will happen during the final moments before Jesus returns. I think that some of the confusion comes from the doctrine that I believe in; which when Jesus returns that many of the Saints of G-d will be called up to meet him as he comes.

The Traveler

[Nate]

I believe it is necessary for good people to be martyred and seal their testimonies with their lives as has been done in past ages

Please explain more on this.

[Traveler]

I believe it is necessary for good people to be martyred and seal their testimonies with their lives as has been done in past ages

Please explain more on this.

The quick - short explanation: Evil is a progressive (evolutionary) thing and according to the laws of justice (as I understand) before destruction by G-d can take place there are steps that must take place. This is identified in the Book of Mormon as a ripening in inequity. Among the steps are:

1. A warning by a prophet called of G-d – example Jonah.

2. A complete rejection of the warning.

3. Attacking and driving (fleeing) off those that are not supportive of the ripened inequity.

4. The murder or martyr of innocent and righteous for the cause of the inequity.

\The Traveler

[Snow]

Most of christianity believes in the rapture as the start of the 7 year tribulation to precede the second coming.

"Most of Christianity?"

The idea, as currently understood, is only about 100 years old. Most of Christianity does not, in fact, believe in the Rapture, be it pre-trib, mid-trib, rewrath or post-trib or fuel-injected, over-head cam hemi.

[Nate]

I personal tend to sway more towards the hemi than the pre-trib. The evangelical christians stemming with a lot of "The Left Behind" fuel have brought an uprising of popularity and attention. Though some info out there is scewed many hearts are being prepared for things to come.

[prisonchaplain]

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Most of christianity believes in the rapture as the start of the 7 year tribulation to precede the second coming.

"Most of Christianity?"

You took the "easy win" Snow. Catholic theology is amillenial, so, by definition, so is "most of Christianity."

Here's an interesting site that seems to have captured the different views of end times theology rather concisely.

http://www.solagroup.org/articles/endtimes/et_0020.html

[Nate]

I stand corrected, thanks. The article is educational. Which prison? I'm at Ft Lewis.

[prisonchaplain]

Wow--I'm in SeaTac--just a few miles--well a few dozen miles--down the I-5 corridor.

[Nate]

So that I understand this correctly. You believe in the Second comming but that the events we as (LDS) view to preceede the comming are more allegorical and past historical? Who then is the beast out of curiosity and how has his role already been played in the past?

They use an allegorical system of interpretation of prophetic events. The Olivet Discourse and the greater part of the book of Revelation are largely viewed as past historical events or are spiritualized out of existence

If im completly misunderstanding this my apologies.

[prisonchaplain]

So that I understand this correctly. You believe in the Second comming but that the events we as (LDS) view to preceede the comming are more allegorical and past historical? Who then is the beast out of curiosity and how has his role already been played in the past?

I'm not sure if you're addressing this to me, but I'll give it a shot. I'm in the premillenial, pre-trib rapture camp (most similar to the Left Behind story). It is the preterists who believe that much of Revelation is historical and/or allegorical. As for the Beast, we believe he will be the Antichrist. Preterists often suggest that the Beast might represent Emporer Nero, if I'm not mistaken.

[Nate]

Now with that article I know what the heck that means, thanks. Im pretty much the same boat though the rapture I may have a differ interpratation. I do like the Left Behind as a good read I must admit though.

Im working on the Babylon Rising right now. :)

Ya that was to you PC, sorry for not being specific.

[Guest Earl]

The word Rapture does not appear in the Bible. It comes from the Latin word rapare which means "seize", "snatch" or "take away." The term Rapture is used to refer to the faithful believers being taken up to meet Christ in the air as described in this passage written by the apostle Paul:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 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, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. (NRSV, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

Apparently, doubts had arisen among the Thessalonians regarding the fate of those Christians who had died before Christ returned. Would they miss out on the glorious events of Christ's second coming and the resurrection? Paul assured them that God would save those who had already died, as well as those still living.

Earl

[Nate]

Thanks Earl, my father is named Earl and its a family name. I have 4 boys and havent named anyone Earl yet so I named my dog Earl so my dad wouldnt get mad. He didnt think it was that funny. :) Take no offence its just the name Earl has been an ongoing battle in my family.

Its good to have a response with a scriptrual reference.