There are several scripture passages one would have to read and understand before they could possibly discern how there is no discrepancy or contradiction in the scriptures that say Jesus Christ is returning FOR His saints and also that He is returning WITH His saints? The vision of the transfiguration of Christ on the mount showed Him returning in glory with at least two of His saints, Moses and Elijah! Well, then, doesn’t this support the “rapture” doctrine? Not at all. Not when one considers what Paul wrote to the Philippian believers. Beginning with Philippians, chapter 3, verse 7: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, THAT I MAY KNOW HIM AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, IF BY ANY MEANS I MIGHT ATTAIN UNTO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. NOT AS THOUGH i HAD ALREADY ATTAINED, EITHER WERE ALREADY PERFECT, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. BRETHREN, I COUNT NOT MYSELF TO HAVE APPREHENDED, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:7-14). Note: The English words apprehend and apprehended in verses 12 and 13 are translated from the Greek word katalambano (pronounced kat-al-lam-BAN’-o), meaning to seize, possess or attain.
Notice how Paul clearly says that he had not yet attained unto the resurrection of the dead! But WHAT resurrection? He says the power of Christ’s own resurrection! Paul long before had attained to the resurrection of the redeemed sons of God, but he wanted to be partaker of a far better resurrection – a resurrection awarded to all those who were perfected in Christ. These are the believers who will enjoy a “rapture” of sorts, being resurrected prior to the general resurrection of the redeemed and returning WITH Jesus Christ in glory along with Moses and Elijah and a host of others, surely including the parents of John the Baptist. (See Luke 1:5-6). These spiritually perfected believers comprise and are the bride of Christ! (See Revelation 14:1-5 with Ephesians 4:11-24).
The word “resurrection” occurs nowhere in the Hebrew scriptures – the Old Testament. The word “resurrection” occurs forty-one times in the Greek scriptures – the New Testament. Thirty-nine times it is translated from the Greek word anastasis (pronounced an-AS’-tas-is), meaning “raised to life again.” Once it is translated from the Greek word egersis (pronounced EG’-er-sis), and meaning “a resurgence from death.” (See Matthew 27:53). And once it is translated from the Greek word exanastasis (pronounced ex-an-AS’-tas-is), meaning “a rising from death,” but much more than that. The EX in front of the word anastasis speaks of an “out resurrection,” that is a resurrection from a group to be resurrected but leaving the greater majority held in death until a later time. And the ones left unresurrected are unperfected children of God!
So, the rapture doctrine does have an element of truth in it. But every professing Christian who thinks they are going to be caught away into heaven at any moment are in for a grim surprise. Such folks should read Revelation 2 and 3 and see if they can discern which of those Christians mentioned therein would have been caught away to heaven had the “rapture” occurred in the First Century.
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley