In our first post, we showed that historic premillenialism, as held by some of the early church fathers, shares very little in common with modern dispensational premillenialism.

Another core teaching of modern dispensational premillenialism ,is the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church before the tribulation. This teaching is also claimed to be at the very least “alluded” to by the early church fathers, However, just as historic premillenialism (aka covenant premillenialism) is actually closer to amillenialism in doctrine, a rapture can be found in some of the early church fathers writings.  However, this rapture doctrine shares very little in common with dispensational premillenial teachings and is also miscontrued by their proponets. Therefore, we will show the early church fathers did not teach the left behind pre-tribulation rapture.of modern dispensational premillenialism that was in fact first invented by John Nelson Darby. If someone tells you Darby did not invent the modern rapture doctrine, amd cite the early church fathers, they are conflating two doctrines that are not related.

So as we will see, it is not the issue of whether or not the early church taught that there will be a rapture, but what it is, when it happens, and how it happens.

Part 2 – The Rapture in the Writings of the Early Church Fathers:

In comparing the “rapture” that we find among modern premillenial dispensationalist with that of the early church fathers, we find some very striking differences. In the modern version, the Church will be raptured away, before the tribulation, leaving only jews and non-believers behind on Earth. The Jews, having been regathered to Israel, will reign with Christ for a thousand years once the tribulation is over. This pre-tribualtion rapture of the Church is often called a secret rapture, since it implies two ressurections in conflict with the one ressurection in Scripture. At this first “secret” rapture, deceased believers are taken away or caught up (left’s face it, it is a ressurection no matter what you want to call it) along with living believers, away from Earth. The second ressurection is at the final judgement when unbelievers are ressurected for judgement.

The Word Rapture in Scripture:

First, let’s take a quick look at the word rapture in Scripture.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18: 13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The term “rapture” comes from the Latin rapiemur in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 or “caught up”. While the word itself was not invented by Darby in the 1800s. he did “invent” the left behind rapture.  His system is of a secret pre-tribulation rapture separating Christ’s coming into stages. whereas in Scripture, being “caught up” is actually the term “rapture” which originated from the Latin Vulgate’s translation of the Greek word harpazo (snatch away/seize suddenly) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.  Jerome translated harpazo as rapiemur – the first-person plural future passive form of the Latin verb rapio (to seize/snatch) – meaning “we shall be caught up”.  Both words means the same thing with a slight difference in how we percieve their meanings = harpazo: “snatch” or “seize suddenly,” while rapio/rapiemur in Latin carries a very similar meaning: “carry off,” “snatch,” “seize.”, however modern dispensationalist focus more on the “carry off” meaning from the Latin.

However, that does not mean we are being taken away. Another word is completely ignored in verse 17 is to meet:

17 Thereupon we the living, the ones remaining, together with them shall be seized in clouds, for meeting the Lord in [the] air, and thus at all times with [the] Lord we shall be. – Apostolic Bible Polyglot

The word for meeting is apantēsis (G529 ἀπάντησις apantesis (a-pan’-tee-sis) n.
a (friendly) encounter.

Apantēsis (ἀπάντησις) in Ancient Greek and the Bible means a “meeting” or “encounter,” often referring to a formal or friendly welcome. In the New Testament, it typically describes going out to meet a visiting official or bridegroom and escorting them back, as seen in Matthew 25:1, 6, Acts 28:15, and 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

So the issue is NOT  if a rapture happens, but when it happens and how. And mostly what the meaning of words used in 1 Thessalonians 4 where Paul speaks of Jesus descending, the dead in Christ rising, and living believers being caught up to meet him in the air.  No one is denying that. However, the text itself does say anything about secret rapture of the Church ONLY, so that we will be taken away and others left behind, or any of the common themes found in modern dispensationalism. Even the NABRE notes state that pretribulational “rapture” is a later construction built by combining this text with other verses.

We will come back to this later. However, for now keep in mind that the focus of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is not solely on the words caught up or being seized by Jesus when he returns but also on what happens next after we are caught up to meet him – return back down to Earth with him.

Comparing the Modern Rapture to the Early Church:

In the writings of the early church fathers, we do find a “rapture” in a sense, but it is not the pre-tribulation left behind rapture. In their text we find these major differences from the modern left behind version:

• The dead will be resurrected while, simultaneously, those still alive will be taken up to meet Jesus as He returns. Some Church Fathers do not elaborate beyond saying that the dead are raised and the living are gathered at the same event, while others say that the living briefly die and are immediately raised with those already deceased. Either way, this all takes place in one event. There is no doctrine here of a secret rapture, two separate comings of Christ, or the Church being taken away so that physical/nationalist Israel can reign on earth for 1,000 years.
• In these passages, judgment follows in connection with Christ’s return, and there is no hint of a secret pre-tribulation removal of the Church.
• All of these events occur after the tribulation, at the quick and sudden second coming of Christ. Thus, the Church goes through the tribulation.

So let’s take a look at what modern pre-tribulation rapture proponents miss in their citations of the early church fathers as “proof” that this doctrine was not later invented by John Nelson Darby:

Hippolytus:

Hippolytus is claimed by supporters of the left behind rapture – pre-trib rapture as alluding to a rapture just before the tribulation and then a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth. However, Hippolytus wrote that believers in Christ would not be raptured away from the tribulation, but would experience it. Jesus would come from heaven and then the last judgement would take place:

These things, then, being to come to pass, beloved, and the one week being divided into two parts, and the abomination of desolation being manifested then, and the two prophets and forerunners of the Lord having finished their course, and the whole world finally approaching the consummation, what remains but the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from heaven, for whom we have looked in hope? who shall bring the conflagration and just judgment upon all who have refused to believe on Him.

For the Lord says, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” “And there shall not a hair of your head perish.” “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” Now the fall took place in paradise; for Adam fell there. And He says again, “Then shall the Son of man send His angels, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds of heaven.” And David also, in announcing prophetically the judgment and coming of the Lord, says, “His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and His circuit unto the end of the heaven: and there is no one hid from the heat thereof.” By the heat he means the conflagration. And Esaias speaks thus: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chamber, (and) shut thy door: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation of the Lord be overpast.” And Paul in like manner: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness.”

65. Moreover, concerning the resurrection and the kingdom of the saints, Daniel says, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall arise, some to everlasting life, (and some to shame and everlasting contempt).” Esaias says, “The dead men shall arise, and they that are in their tombs shall awake; for the dew from thee is healing to them.” The Lord says, “Many in that day shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.” And the prophet says, “Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” And John says, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power.” For the second death is the lake of fire that burneth. And again the Lord says, “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun shineth in his glory.” And to the saints He will say, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.– Hippolytus of Rome, Treatise on Christ and the Anti-Christ

Hippolytus clearly wrote that the Church or the beloved who he addresses, would go through the tribulation, see the abomination of desolation, and then all that remained would be the second coming of Christ ,  “who shall bring the conflagration and just judgment”. At this same time, we will be saved, as the dead also rise from their graves at this same event, and the final judgement takes place. Hippolytus leaves no gap for a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth. Nor does he mention any rapture away from this Earth before the tribulation.

Irenaeus:

One could say that Irenaeus wrote that there would be a form of the rapture, however there are no traces of a left behind pre-tribulation rapture as taught first by John Nelson Darby and popular among evangelicals today.

According to Irenaeus the Church will go through the tribulation and then see a form of the rapture in that the Church will be “caught up” and crowned immediately with incorruption. Irenaues calls the tribulation the “last contest of the righteous”.

And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.” For this is the last contest of the righteous,in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption. – Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V

With Irenaeus, the key line is: “when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this,” and then he immediately says, “For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption.” That wording places the Church’s being “caught up” at the end, in connection with tribulation, not before it. This is not the pretribulation rapture of Darby or modern evangelicals which places the rapture before the tribualtion and leaves behind Jews and gentiles, and the regathtering of physical and seperate from the church Israel to reign with Jesus.

Justin Martyr:

Justin Martyr is claimed to have been an early proponent of the pre-tribulation rapture and a literal thousand year reign of Christ. However, although he did possibly believe in a literal 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth, the Church would go through the tribulation. The unbelieving Jews would not be regathered to Israel to worship Christ during His reign while the Church is raptured away. Therefore, most all elements of the modern doctrines of pre-millenial dispensationalism are missing. Justin Martyr believed that Jesus would raise the dead immediately at His second coming, judge the Earth and then reign. This shows that the so called historical pre-millenialism of Justin Martyr, not only did not include a pre-trib rapture popular in movies and text such as left behind, but that he shared more in common with amillenialism rather than modern premillenial dispensationalism:

For the prophets have proclaimed two advents of His: the one, that which is already past, when He came as a dishonoured and suffering Man; but the second, when, according to prophecy, He shall come from heaven with glory, accompanied by His angelic host, when also He shall raise the bodies of all men who have lived,and shall clothe those of the worthy with immortality, and shall send those of the wicked, endued with eternal sensibility, into everlasting fire with the wicked devils. And that these things also have been foretold as yet to be, we will prove. – Justin Martyr, First Apology

Cyprian:

Cyprian is also claimed to have written of the left behind rapture long before John Nelson Darby. However, Cyprian;s words are never cited in entirety by proponents of a pre-tribulation rapture. Note the italicized and inderlined portions are the only words quoted by those who use Cyrpian’s text to prove a pre-trib rapture and the bold words in the middle are typically completely left out:

And this, as it ought always to be done by God’s servants, much more ought to be done now — now that the world is collapsing and is oppressed with the tempests of mischievous ills; in order that we who see that terrible things have begun, and know that still more terrible things are imminent, may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. If in your dwelling the walls were shaking with age, the roofs above you were trembling, and the house, now worn out and wearied, were threatening an immediate destruction to its structure crumbling with age, would you not with all speed depart? If, when you were on a voyage, an angry and raging tempest, by the waves violently aroused, foretold the coming shipwreck, would you not quickly seek the harbour? Lo, the world is changing and passing away, and witnesses to its ruin not now by its age, but by the end of things. And do you not give God thanks, do you not congratulate yourself, that by an earlier departure you are taken away, and delivered from the shipwrecks and disasters that are imminent? – Treatises of Cyprian — Treatise VII

Cyprian clearly believed that we would go through the tribulation and not be raptured away. Cyprian was also clearly speaking of those who depart or pass away after the tribulation and do not have to go through the final destruction of the Earth when Christ returns and renews all things. Thus Cyprian was not writing of a pre-trib rapture.

Pseudo- Ephraim

Pseudo- Ephraim is another text cited by left behind rapture supports in an effort to show that this doctrine was taught in the early Church, long before John Nelson Darby. Rapture supporters cite this portion of the text:

For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.

However, there are actually two versions of the text, a latin version (quoted above) and a syric version which reads:

“Pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased Who had avoided the calamity: ‘Blessed are you for you were borne away (to the grave) And hence you escaped from the afflictions!

Both text are called Pseudo- Ephraim, because they are false text. Even so, these text can not be used to support the modern left behind rapture doctrine or to prove that this doctrine was not invented by John Nelson Darby, for several reasons. For one the text clearly does not support a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth, or the regathering of the Jews to Israel. In fact, the second coming of Christ seems to happen very quickly, as taught in amillenialism, without a seven year tribulation period:

“Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming (advent) of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time.”

Also the text appears to speak of death as the means of escape, not a rapture. The two differing versions of the text, one of which clearly speaks of death as the escape, shows that this is likely what the unknown author intended as opposed to a pre-trib rapture. A good article on this text can be found here.

The Didache:

In the Didache, we also do not find any traces of the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church:

For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increases, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but those who endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth: first, the sign of an outspreading in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet. And third, the resurrection of the dead — yet not of all, but as it is said: “The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him.” Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven. – The Didache

The Shepherd of Hermas:

The Shepherd of Hermas is also quoted by proponents of dispensationalism, as proof for the left beind idea of the rapture:

You have escaped from great tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. Therefore, go, tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and tell them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If you prepare yourselves, repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart is pure and spotless, and you spend the rest of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly. – The Shepherd of Hermas

However, if we continue to read all of the Shepherd of Hermas in context, we see that the text does not support the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine:

Now after I had passed by the wild beast, and had moved forward about thirty feet, lo! A virgin meets me, adorned as if she were proceeding from the bridal chamber, clothed entirely in white, and with white sandals, and veiled up to her forehead, and her head was covered by a hood. And she had white hair. I knew from my former visions that this was the Church, and I became more joyful. She saluted me, and said, Hail, O man! And I returned her salutation, and said, Lady, hail! And she answered, and said to me, Has nothing crossed your path? I say, I was met by a beast of such a size that it could destroy peoples, but through the power of the Lord and His great mercy I escaped from it. Well did you escape from it, says she, because you cast your care on God, and opened your heart to the Lord, believing that you can be saved by no other than by His great and glorious name. On this account the Lord has sent His angel, who has rule over the beasts, and whose name is Thegri, and has shut up its mouth, so that it cannot tear you. You have escaped from great tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. Therefore, go, tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and tell them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If you prepare yourselves, repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart is pure and spotless, and you spend the rest of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly. Cast your cares upon the Lord, and He will direct them. Trust the Lord, you who doubt, for He is all-powerful, and can turn His anger away from you, and send scourges on the doubters. Woe to those who hear these words, and despise them: better were it for them not to have been born.

After he escapes one tribulation, he is told to go tell the Church, so that they can also escape tribualtion if they serve Christ all their lives. The Shepherd of Hermas shows us that we will go through tribulations and escape them by our faith in God and perservance,  not by being raptured away.

Augustine:

In the writings of Augustine (wrongly claimed by some to be the original source of amillenialism) we read that there will be a “rapture” where the Church will be caught up to meet Jesus as He returns, to peacefully die, be judged, and recieve eternal life:

We shall all rise, or all sleep, for not even the saints shall be quickened to immortality unless they first die, however briefly; and consequently they shall not be exempt from resurrection which is preceded by sleep, however brief. And why should it seem to us incredible that the multitude of bodies should be, as it were, sown in the air, and should in the air immediately revive immortal and incorruptible, when we believe, on the testimony of the same apostle, that the resurrection shall take place in the twinkling of an eye, and that the dust of bodies long dead shall return with incomprehensible facility and swiftness to those members that are now to live endlessly? – Augustine, City of God

But the apostle has said nothing here regarding the resurrection of the dead; but in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians he says, We would not have you to be ignorant brethren, concerning them which are asleep, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 etc. These words of the apostle most distinctly proclaim the future resurrection of the dead, when the Lord Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead. – IBID

Note the quote below by John Chrysostom shows the same explanation of 1 Thessalonians held by Scholars such as N.T Wright who states that what Paul meant was that we will be “caught up” to meet Christ as He returns to Earth and will come back down with Him. This view is supported by all the Early Church Fathers quotes in this post:

If He is about to descend, on what account shall we be caught up? For the sake of honor. For when a king drives into a city, those who are in honor go out to meet him; but the condemned await the judge within. […] Seest thou how great is the honor? and as He descends, we go forth to meet Him, and, what is more blessed than all, so we shall be with Him. (Homily on 1 Thessalonians, VIII). – John Chrysostom

Conclusion:

The “rapture” mentioned in the writings of the Early Church Fathers, can in carry the idea of the death of living believers who have went through the tribulation and are taken up to meet Christ in the air as He returns to Earth for the final judgement. Those living will die a peaceful death as they are “caught up” to meet Him as He returns, and come down with Him as the dead are ressurected at the same time. This rapture is nothing like that of John Nelson Darby and others since his time who promote a false idea of a pre-tribulation escape from the end of the world.