Scriptures in question:
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:9-11

This essay is a response to an article written by Joe Crews. I will not respond to every sentence and paragraph but will hopefully cover all the bases concerning his article. Many who don’t believe in the pre-tribulation rapture event often use the term secret rapture as a pejorative. Whether or not this is the case with Mr. Crews, I don’t know. You can read his article here. His comments are in bold, followed by my responses.

“By the way, that word “rapture” is also an invention of theologians. It can’t be found in the Bible in even a single instance. It is a word coined for the second advent of Jesus.”
• The word rapture is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17; it is the Greek word harpazo translated into English as “caught up” (LSB, NASB ’95, ESV, NET).
• Greek: ἁρπάζω (harpazo) [Strong’s G0726]
◦ to seize, carry off by force
◦ to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly
◦ to snatch out or away
• Latin: rapio or rapturo is the Latin translation from Koine Greek where we get the English word rapture.
◦ From the Vulgate: …deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur [we will be raptured] cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus…
• The word rapture, as well as the actual event, has nothing to do with the second advent. I don’t know where he comes up with this doozy of a claim.

“The secret rapture doctrine contradicts the words of Christ in Matthew chapter 13 when He said that the wheat and tares would grow together until the “end of the world” and then would be separated. According to the two-stage teaching of His coming, both groups would not grow together until the end of the world. The righteous would be separated from the wicked seven years before the end. And what about the promise of the resurrection? Christ said, concerning the righteous, “And I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). No one denies that this means the last day of the world. Yet Paul declares that the saints are caught up to meet the Lord at the same time the dead in Christ are raised. He says, “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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).”
• By stating “…the words of Christ in Matthew chapter 13…” he’s obviously referring to Jesus’ parable of the tares among the wheat. (Matthew 13:24-30)
• Jesus did not use the phrase “end of the world” (kosmos) but the phrase “until the harvest” (therismos) (13:30)
• Secondly, verse 24 makes it clear that Jesus wasn’t teaching about something that would happen at the end of the world. He is specifically teaching about the coming kingdom of heaven. While I do believe in the coming millennial kingdom, defending the actual millennial kingdom is not in the scope of this essay. My only aim in this essay is to defend the reality of the rapture. One topic at a time.
• “…two-stage teaching of His coming” I have no idea where he came up with this phrase. Rather than making an honest effort to understand those he disagrees with, he seems to pull ideas out of thin air and puts them in the mouth of dispensationalists. We should always make an effort to represent opposing views accurately and fairly. No dispensationalist teaches a two-stage coming of Christ. More on this below.
• “The righteous would be separated from the wicked seven years before the end.” That’s not what the parable is teaching, nor is it what pre-tribulationists believe or teach. This event is parallel to another parable, commonly called the separation of the sheep and goats. They both depict a separation between true and false believers prior to entry into the visible Kingdom with Christ reigning on earth. And Jesus’ second advent isn’t “the end” either, so we wouldn’t say He’s coming “seven years before the end.” There’s still another one thousand years to go yet.
• the last day” (John 6:40) (answered below).
• “No one denies that this means the last day of the world.” I deny it, and so do other futurists!

“Please keep in mind that Jesus called this resurrection the “last day.” But how could it be the “last day” if this gathering of the saints takes place seven years before the end of the world? And how could the “last trump” sound if it really wasn’t the very last moment of time?”
• BDAG: the last day [ἔσχατος ημερα] (of this age); cf. John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 12:48. The dead in Christ will be resurrected and given glorified bodies at the rapture prior to those that “are alive and remain. That event marks the end of the church age.
• The trumpet soundings of Israel were used for many things. Numbers 10:2-10 describes several usages for sounding the trumpet for different occasions. (It’s interesting that Revelation 19 makes no mention of a trumpet being sounded on Jesus’ return.) I have no clue where he gets the idea that this particular trumpet will sound at the very last moment of time. That’s not mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
• There were two types of trumpets in the Old Testament. One is the ram’s horn (first mentioned in Exodus 19:16) and the other a silver trumpet (first mentioned in Numbers 10:1). The latter was used to summon the congregation and for having the camps set out (10:2). There was a specific sounding used for compelling the congregation to gather themselves to Moses at the doorway of the tent of meeting (10:3). The word for trumpet in the New Testament is always σάλπιγξ (salpigx). The salpigx was used by the ancient Greeks similar to the way that the bugle was used in in early US warfare, among other things. It corresponds to the silver trumpet of the Old Testament.
• This trumpet sounding will be the last summons for the church at the rapture, calling us to be gathered to Christ. It is part and parcel of the phrase “with a shout [of command], with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. We will be “harpazo-ed” (snatched away, seized by force).

“To say that the second coming of Christ to gather His saints will be secret, in view of these clear texts of Scripture, and in the absence of any text that even hints at His coming being secret, is to deny the Bible as the Word of God. In an attempt to uphold their contrived theory, the rapturists quote Matthew 24:40, 41 out of context. Notice this entire passage: “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left” (Matthew 24:37-41).”
• To say that these verses have nothing to do with the rapture is correct. But he still got the details wrong.
• Let’s take a close look at that passage. A simple question would come in handy in understanding verses 38 & 39. Question: who were the ones taken away in “the day that Noah entered into the ark?” Answer: those who were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” and “did not know.”
• Another good question to ask would be, “what was the flood?” It was a time of judgment when God’s wrath was poured out upon the earth in the days of Noah.
• The Greek word for “took” is αἴρω (airo) means to remove, or better yet, sweep away.
• Tying this all together, it was the wicked who were taken, removed, swept away (Noah and his family were left on the earth after the flood).
• The flood represents (or points to) a future time of judgment, known as the seven year tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel, and the time of Jacob’s trouble. In the eschatological scheme represented in these verses, those left on the earth after the tribulation will populate the coming millennial kingdom. It runs parallel to two parables. One is the tares among the wheat and the second is the separation of the sheep and the goats. The wheat is gathered into the barn (or the kingdom) and the sheep are those who inherit the (millennial) kingdom.
• Now that I’ve corrected Mr. Crews bad interpretation of the above scriptures, I’ll pass over the next few paragraphs because it’s not in the scope of this essay: defending the Bible’s clear teachings concerning the upcoming rapture event.

“Now, I realize that the rapturists hang onto the texts that liken the Lord’s coming to “a thief in the night.” They assume that this must be a quiet, secret coming. But does it really mean that? Let’s show that it definitely does not. Here is one of those texts in 2 Peter 3: 10: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” Obviously the “thief’ part has nothing to do with secrecy because the heavens will pass away with a great noise! And if coming “as a thief’ is the secret rapture which takes place seven years before the end of the world, how can the heavens and earth “pass away,” as Peter describes it? The heavens and earth could not pass away seven years before the world ends – that is the end! The fact is that Jesus Himself explained clearly just how a thief’s coming could be related to His coming: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up” (Matthew 24:42, 43). There it is, so plain and simple! The thief would come unexpectedly when the owners were not looking for a thief. In the same way, His coming would take people by surprise. They would not be watching or looking for it.”
• The phrase “the day of the Lord” is an eschatological term used in both the Old and New Testaments to refer to a time of God’s wrath being poured out. So in this context, the start of the tribulation will catch those left behind by surprise.
• No scholarly teacher that I’ve ever heard or read likened the rapture to Jesus’ statement that He’ll be coming as a thief in the night. It would be nice if he could name his sources, but then and again he’s probably just repeating things he heard without researching to see if it’s true. We’ll be meeting the Lord in the air at the rapture. The Lord won’t appear on earth until after the tribulation is concluded, so this is a big juicy nothing burger.

“The dispensationalists teach that the two separate stages of Christ’s coming are indicated “in the Greek.” They argue that there will first be the rapture (parousia), a secret coming; then seven years later will be the revelation (apokalupsis), His coming in power and glory. But, actually, instead of teaching two separate events, the Greek terms are used interchangeably in the Bible. They give no indication of a seven-year interval.”
• The whole paragraph is a whole field full of strawmen. No dispensationalist says there are “two separate stages of Christ’s coming.” We say the rapture and the return of the King are two separate events. No dispensationalist says “there will first be the rapture (parousia)…then seven years later will be the revelation.” No dispensationalist uses the term “secret coming” so let’s cut that strawman loose and send him down the yellow brick road so he can get a brain.
• We don’t say it’s “indicated ‘in the Greek,’” we say it’s written in the plain language of the scriptures. Hopefully that should be easy enough to understand; that the scriptures themselves say it is so in the plain language and in the context it’s written in.
• We don’t primarily use the word “parousia” (παρουσία) to point to the reality of the rapture, we primarily refer to the word harpazo (ἁρπάζω).
• The primary usage of parousia in Scripture means “presence,” followed by “a coming/appearance.” Either definition would fit with 1Thessalonians 4:17, but since we will “meet the Lord in the air,” the word presence seems to fit better.
• I don’t follow the statement “…then seven years later will be the revelation. … They give no indication of a seven-year interval.” I’ll assume he referring to the dispensationalists’ teaching that the rapture will be followed by the seven year tribulation (also known as Daniel’s 70th week and “the time of Jacob’s trouble”). At least, that is what dispensationalists say with minor deviations among them. Some say there might be an interval of time between the rapture and the tribulation to allow the temple to be rebuilt and for the Antichrist to begin his rise to power. Others believe the rapture will be closely followed by the tribulation. I don’t know where he gets the idea that dispensationalists teach a seven year “interval,” unless perhaps he’s using the term revelation to refer to the tribulation. The word revelation simply means a revealing (of something previously hidden). If he means that dispensationalists take the word revelation as being synonymous with the words seven year tribulation, then he’s wrong.
◦ The other possibility concerning his use of the word interval could indicate that he’s trying to explain the dispensational view through an amillennial lens and is getting things mixed up. In other words, the amillennialist believes that after Jesus returns He will immediately set up the Great White Throne judgment, which will be followed by the eternal state. So that would mean that the rapture, followed by the seven year tribulation and thousand year reign of Jesus’ Kingdom upon His return, would be viewed as an “interval” or “gap” before the final White Throne judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:11ff takes place. To this I would simply say that the rapture, seven year tribulation period, and Jesus’ visible thousand year Kingdom are plainly taught in the scriptures as chronological. There are no gaps or intervals.

“The other Greek word “apokalupsis” (revelation) is used in a way that indicates it is not a separate coming from the time the believers are gathered up. Peter said to “be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation [apokalupsis] of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). Why would Christians be exhorted to keep hoping to the very end of the world for the grace brought through the revelation of Christ if their real hope was a secret rapture seven years before the revelation?”
• First of all, the eschaton is not in Peter’s view in this section, which reaches all the way back to the first verse. In this section there are a bunch of imperatives for us to follow.
• There is no language in this verse that infers Peter is saying to hold on to our hope “to the very end of the world.”
• Secondly, the revelation of Jesus Christ is a very broad term. It begins at salvation and becomes complete when we see Jesus face to face, at which time we will be just like Him. I believe the latter is what Peter was talking about. In some contexts it means that when unbelievers finally see Him, they will fully recognize who He is.
• One should be very, very careful when attempting to put words in the mouth of someone else. No dispensationalist I’ve heard or read said that our “real hope [is] a secret rapture.” In the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness. Let’s make it clear: God is the One in whom we place our hope.

“Now look at some verses that prove beyond a doubt that the two words “parousia” and “apokalupsis” refer to the same event. In Matthew 24:37 we read, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming [parousia] of the Son of man be.” Luke’s account of the same passage says “As it was in the days of Noe … Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed [apokalupsis]” (Luke 17:26, 30). This shows that the coming (parousia) of Christ and the revelation (apokalupsis) of Christ are the same event. There is absolutely no basis for placing seven years in between.”
• Actually, the Greek word in Luke’s text isn’t apokalupsis, the word is apokalupto (ἀποκαλύπτω), a verb which means to cause something to be fully known, revealed, disclosed. That means someone is causing folks to know who Jesus is, and that someone would have to be the Father or the Spirit, or perhaps both (cf. Matthew 16:17). In Matthew’s text, parousia is a noun. While some commentators say that they are both saying the same thing, it should dawn on us that there’s a different twist on what each author is saying to his audience, as evidenced by their choice of words, including the fact that one uses a noun and the other a verb. Again, this is outside the scope of this essay.
• “…the Greek terms [parousia and apokalupsis] are used interchangeably in the Bible. They give no indication of a seven-year interval.” The two words don’t have the same Koine Greek definitions. Parousia generally means an appearance or an arrival. Apokalupsis means an uncovering or revealing. They give no indication of a seven year “interval” because it’s not part of the definition of either of the two words (or “terms” as he puts it). It’s another big nothing burger.
• As for Jesus’ “coming in power and glory,” that is pictured in Revelation 19:11-16, following the conclusion of God’s wrath being poured out.

“Many dispensationalist teachers actually claim that the rapture is not really the “coming” of Jesus at all. They say His coming is when Christ returns in power seven years after the rapture. But what a contradictory, confusing explanation that is! The fact is that there are many Scriptures that admonish Christians to wait and watch for the coming of the Lord. For example, James 5:7 says, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” But why should Christians need to be patient unto the coming of the Lord if there is to be a secret rapture to take them to heaven seven years before His coming?”
• “Many dispensationalist teachers actually claim…” This is a fallacious argument. He should name his sources and state where this was written so we can look it up and read it for ourselves to see if it’s true or false that they claim such a thing.
• “Many dispensationalist teachers actually claim that the rapture is not really the “coming” of Jesus at all.” This guy’s giving me a headache. Dispensationalists believe in and teach a pre-tribulation rapture and a post-tribulation, pre-millennial return of Christ to set up His Kingdom. The quoted text is a complete misrepresentation of what Dispensationalists believe in. I’ve never heard or read a dispensationalist say that.
• “They say His coming is when Christ returns in power seven years after the rapture.” We say He will return to Jerusalem in power after the conclusion of the Tribulation (Daniel 7:13; Matthew 24:29-30; 26:64; Revelation 19:11-14) to set up His Kingdom (Matthew 25:41-46; Revelation 20:1-6). Yes, in power. In His first advent He came in humility (as a servant) as Savior and in His second advent, when His feet touch down on Mount Olivet, He will return in power to set up His Kingdom.
• “The fact is that there are many Scriptures that admonish Christians to wait and watch for the coming of the Lord. For example, James 5:7 says, ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.’” That has nothing to do with teaching a biblical rapture, per se. However, since there are no signs to look for concerning our gathering to Him, then we should be ready at all times – because we don’t know when the Lord will come to take us out of this world. I’ll elaborate on this a little more, even if it’s redundant, in the following bullet point.
• “But why should Christians need to be patient unto the coming of the Lord if there is to be a secret rapture to take them to heaven seven years before His coming?” If you read the rapture passages carefully you’ll notice there are no signs or things to look for that precede the harpazo (snatching away) of the saints, unlike the second coming (or advent), which will have signs in the sun, moon, and stars that follows the “tribulations of those days” (Matthew 24:29) and Jesus’ return (24:30). You don’t know when He’ll return for His own at the end of the church age to take them out of this world to save them from the wrath that will be poured out in the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). The rapture could happen at any time, so keep looking up. On the contrary, believers won’t be caught by surprise when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom (Psalm 110:1-2; Zechariah 14:4; Revelation 19:11-14). We may not know the actual date or time when He returns but we will know the circumstances that lead to it (Luke 21:29-31).

“For example, Paul uses the word “parousia” in the famous rapture chapter of 1 Thessalonians 4 in speaking of the coming of our Lord and our gathering together unto Him. He then goes right on to show that this “parousia” will destroy the man of sin. Speaking of the Antichrist, Paul says, “whom the Lord shall … destroy with the brightness of his coming [parousia]” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). These texts clearly describe the coming (parousia) of Christ as taking place after the reign of the man of sin, not as an escape rapture before the reign of the Antichrist begins.”
• Note: this paragraph was in the original article and was since removed. I will respond to it anyway.
• 2 Thessalonians does not say that the Lord will destroy the lawless one by the brightness of his parousia, but by the manifestation occurring at His arrival. Paul uses the word epiphaneia (ἐπιφάνεια) which means a manifestation. While the two words convey a similar meaning, they do so in different ways. This scene is played out in Revelation 19:20. Again, a big nothing burger when it comes to trying to poke holes in the pre-trib rapture.

“Revelation 3:10 is often quoted to try to prove that the righteous will be taken out of the world before the tribulation. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” It is immediately obvious that this text does not speak of the righteous leaving this world at all. Jesus completely clarified the meaning by something He said in John 17:6, 15 which sounds very similar. “They have kept thy word. O I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” Don’t miss the significance of the term “kept the word” in both these texts. Both statements are talking about the same group of people – the faithful ones.”
• He quoted Revelation 3:10 but missed verse 11a: “I am coming quickly…” That statement definitely has eschatological overtones.
• Pay close attention to the context of the two verses. Revelation 3:10, being followed by the statement “I am coming quickly” puts the context in an eschatological setting. The high priestly prayer of John 17:1 ff. is contained in a totally different context. Here, Jesus is about to leave the world and send out the eleven into the world to fulfill the Great Commission, and is praying for specifically for their protection in this corrupt world, (it is applicable to us as well). John 17:15 is clearly not set in an eschatological setting. In this context, the phrase “out of the world” means extreme segregation, along the same line that Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:10.

“Now if those who “kept the word” can be “kept from the evil” of the world without being taken out of the world, why should we suppose that a special coming and secret rapture is required for those who “kept the word” to be “kept from the hour of temptation”? Whatever else may be taught in Revelation 3: 10, it is evident that no extra coming of Christ is indicated.”
• The KJV contains archaic language and sentence structure. A modern contemporary translation will render the second phrase “kept from the evil one.”
• Two verses to help you out:
◦ For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22)
◦ For God has not appointed us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
• It’s interesting that in the first quote Jesus does not refer to the church but to the elect. That’s because the rapture will mark the end of the church age after the church is removed from this world. If all of the elect were killed off in the great tribulation Jesus mentioned, there’d be no one left to populate the coming Kingdom.
• Paul opens 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 noting that “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” As mentioned above, the phrase “day of the Lord” refers to the day of God’s wrath being poured out in the coming seven year tribulation. This chapter is an extension of the previous chapter that deals with eschatology. The church has not been appointed to be subjected to the wrath of God that will be poured out during the tribulation.

“True biblical doctrine must be based upon clear statements of what the entire Bible teaches on a subject and not upon verses that offer only veiled inferences. Luke 21:36 is an example of that very thing. Jesus said to His disciples, “Pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass.” How? By a secret rapture to take them to heaven seven years before the end of the world? Definitely not, for in the prayer of Jesus we read, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” When He told them to “pray … to escape,” He must have meant the same as when He prayed, “I pray not … take them out of the world but … keep them.” This rules out a secret rapture entirely. The text that is used to prove the rapture is seen actually to forbid the saints being taken out of this world during the time of trouble.”
• Because I’ve already answered to the things in this paragraph, I’m only going to deal with the first sentence.
• In order to get your eschatology right, you have to get two other things right.
◦ Hermeneutics. The plain reading of scripture must be the only method of hermeneutics across all of Scripture. God intends for us to understand His word, which was written for all of us, including those of us who fit the category of “not many wise according to the flesh” (1Corintians 1:26). It’s not my intention to defend dispensational hermeneutics in this essay, but if you are willing to learn, here’s a good book for you to read. It’s a short read of only 111 pages.
◦ The doctrine of election as it concerns Israel as God’s chosen (elect) nation. Throughout Scripture, Israel is referred to as God’s elect nation, His chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6-8; 10:14-15; Psalm 33:12; 106:5; Acts 13:17; Romans 9:11; 11:28). If Israel were to lose their status as God’s elect nation, what will happen to the church? Can the body of Christ, the church, also be rejected by God in the future? Or if God really means it when He refers to Israel as His chosen/elect nation and sticks to His claim, then we can be confident in the doctrine of assurance.
◦ If you get your hermeneutics, the doctrine of election, and your Israelology right, you’ll get your eschatology right.

In conclusion, dispensationalists do not teach a secret rapture. We teach a pre-tribulation rapture.