Can you explain two verses used by someone who believes in the rapture?
Question:
Hello Sir,
I have recently been talking with a nice lady who believes in the rapture. I asked her if she would tell me why she believes in it. She said I Thessalonians 5:9 and Revelation 3:10. Could you explain those to me? I was a bit perplexed about what to say in response to the Revelation 3:10 comment.
Thank you so much for your time and insight.
Answer:
When someone gives a passage to support their belief, the best thing to do is open a Bible and read the passage in its immediate context.
"For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him" (I Thessalonians 5:7-10).
This discussion addresses the resurrection, but it doesn't prove that there will be a separate resurrection for the wicked and the righteous. It fits well with Jesus' statement that everyone will be resurrected together. "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28-29).
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown'" (Revelation 3:7-11).
Again, this passage doesn't prove a rapture. It doesn't even speak of a resurrection. Perhaps premillennialists would use Revelation 3:10 to talk about what they call the "tribulation," but notice that it is taken out of context. This letter is addressed to a church in Philadelphia, located in the Roman province of Asia. The persecution had been taking place against Christians by the Jews in this town. Things are about to get worse, but Jesus said he would protect the members of this congregation. A persecution that would consume the entire world (the Roman Empire) is about to begin soon. Notice that Jesus said he is coming quickly. The beginning of Revelation states it is about things that would happen soon to those it was written. "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near" (Revelation 1:1-3).
Thus, we find that the nice lady takes verses out of their context and applies them in illogical ways to fit a preconceived narrative.
Response:
Thank you so much for this information.