The Rapture: Biblical Fact or Man’S Tradition

By Dena Stevens, ThD

In The Rapture: Biblical Fact or Mans Tradition, author Dr. Dena Stevens considers a subject called rapture pertaining to the end-times and embraced by manyto determine if it is actually taught in the Bible, or if it is only a tradition of men. The consequences of accepting or rejecting this doctrine are of such importance to the eternal, spiritual destiny of man that it is deserving of very close examination.

Stevens goes back to the account at the beginning in Genesis, examining scriptural descriptions of Gods divine plan for the world from both the Old and New Testaments, as well as His reasons for placing man on the earth in flesh bodies. She then takes an in-depth look into some of the areas that Gods people have not understood and serves to clarify some questions we have often pondered, but for which we have found no real answers.

Stevens examines future prophetic events of the end-times and mans role in them in order to answer the question of her study: is the rapture a doctrine taught in the Bible, or is it only a tradition that man has devised for his own comfort and salvation?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491731017

Dena Stevens, ThD

Dr. Stevens was born and raised in South Boston, Virginia. She retired from a career in nursing in 1995 and began pursuing religious education in 2002, following her husband’s death. Most recently she earned her Doctor of Theology degree from Euhon Christian College in South Boston, Virgina where she serves as a professor. She is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Book preview

THE RAPTURE: BIBLICAL FACT OR MAN’S TRADITION

Copyright © 2014 Dena Stevens Th.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse LLC

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-3100-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-3101-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014907785

iUniverse rev. date: 06/12/2014

Contents

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

Chapter 1   Traditions of Men

Chapter 2   The Rapture Doctrine

Chapter 3   In the Beginning…

Chapter 4   One Soul, Two Bodies.

Chapter 5   The Elect

Chapter 6   The Generation of the Fig Tree

Chapter 7   The One World Order

Chapter 8   Two Tribulations

Chapter 9   The Return of Christ

Chapter 10   The Millennium

Chapter 11   Answering the Rapture Question

Works Cited

Acknowledgments

This work is dedicated first to the closest relative I have: my Heavenly Father. I thank Him for giving me life, both physical and spiritual, earthly and eternal, and for placing me in the biological family He chose. I thank Him for the husband, helpmeet and mentor He allowed me to have for over fifty-five years. I am so grateful to Him for the two wonderful sons He chose to entrust to our care, for their Christian wives, for the beautiful grandchildren and great—grandchildren He has sent to us. It is for all of my family and for my extended family that this work is written. It is done to encourage them to live happily and confidently in these latter days.

My gratitude is beyond measure to my Father for guiding me along the pathway that has brought me to this point in my life. I thank Him for revealing Himself to me at an early age, for guiding my footsteps, and for showing me such patience in my process of growing as a Christian.

I thank Him every day for bringing into my life, at His appointed time, two of the most learned and dedicated Bible teachers I have ever known. Pastors Arnold Murray and Dennis Murray, father and son, both divinely gifted of God, have had a tremendous impact on my spiritual life. Without their guidance, I would not be where I am spiritually today. Their knowledge of the Scriptures and skills as instructors also gave me confidence in my ability to teach, as well as influencing my decision to write this work.

I am eternally grateful for the direction in which they have pointed me, and I cherish the depth to which I have been taken in the Word. Studying with these great men of God has changed my life. I cannot adequately express my appreciation to them, or to the Father for bringing us together in the study of His Word.

Father has sent many people my way who have had a special part in my Christian journey. Although they may not have been aware of their influence on me at the time, many dear people stand out vividly in my mind for their contribution to my Christian walk. Some have had larger parts than others, and some, I am sure, had parts that I will not know about this side of heaven. They are too numerous to recognize by names, but that does not diminish their importance to me. I am so grateful for all of them.

Special Recognition: To my son, Mark for his computer expertise that has brought this material to publication. My sincere appreciation for his untiring efforts and his great patience through it all.

About the Author

Having a godly mother and grandmother to guide her religious upbringing, the author can identify with Timothy, the protégé of the Apostle Paul, with his godly grandmother Lois, and mother, Eunice. Born into a family of Episcopalians on her maternal side and of Methodists on her paternal side, there was diversity of teaching styles and experiences in her early years of religious training.

As a new bride, she joined Grace Baptist Church, the home church of her husband, Carlton, where she is still a member. Grace is a Southern Baptist church located in the rural Halifax County, Virginia community of Omega, where Carlton was born and grew up. His job as Supervisor over the Spinning Department with Pacific Mills, (later Burlington Industries), took them to the nearby town of Halifax. After living in the county seat for eight years, with their two young boys, Dwight and Mark, they moved to their small farm in the Omega community.

At Grace Baptist, Dena has served in different capacities, including, choir member, soloist, and Sunday school teacher. She has held offices in the Missionary Society and served on the Pastor Search, and Pastor-Church committees. Until she experienced a heart attack in 2012, she was known for her volunteer ministry of singing solos at church revivals, funerals, and other religious activities throughout the county.

Her non-church related activities include a long membership in the Order of the Eastern Star, where she served in different capacities. Dena and Carlton served Henry W. Woodall Chapter #80 as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron as well as in other offices of the Chapter.

She has taught a Bible Study in her home for over 15 years and for more than ten years, she has written a Bible Study column for The News & Record, a hometown newspaper.

Dena was educated in the public schools in South Boston, Virginia, a small town in Halifax County. During her senior year in high school, she worked as a nurse’s aide at South Boston Hospital. Some years later, she became a Licensed Practical Nurse at Halifax Community Hospital.

Her academic history includes the Associate in Applied Science degree from Patrick Henry Community College, Martinsville, Virginia, after which, she became a Registered Nurse.

Continuing to further her nursing education, and holding a full time job in the family-owned Berry Hill Nursing Home, in South Boston, she commuted to Lynchburg College to attend evening classes. In 1985, she was awarded the Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Nursing. After a long career in Geriatric nursing at Berry Hill, where she was in charge of staff development and teaching a class at night to train Nursing Assistants for the Halifax County/South Boston School system, she retired in 1995.

In October of 2002, she completed requirements for a doctorate in Natural Health. A month later, her husband of fifty-five years died, and since then, she has concentrated on her religious training. She received the Master of Arts in Religious Education degree in 2009 from Rovear Christian University in Petersburg, Virginia. In May of 2013, she was awarded the Doctor of Theology degree from Euhon Christian College in South Boston,Virginia where she currently serves as a professor.

Introduction

My introduction to the subject of a rapture came from a handsome, charismatic young Baptist evangelist-pastor named Archer Vines Turner, who came to serve Grace Baptist Church, where my husband, Carlton, and I were members. Grace was one of three country Southern Baptist churches in a ‘field’, meaning that we shared the same pastor. Pastor Turner, a new seminary graduate, was dearly beloved by all three congregations. But, being the dynamic preacher that he was, other churches soon began pursuing him. He served our field of churches for two years before answering the call to another pastorate. It was during this time that he taught a Bible study on the rapture.

As a visual aide, Pastor Turner used a long white banner with black letters and illustrations that stretched half way across the front of the sanctuary. The chart illustrated prophetic Biblical events from the beginning of time into the Eternity. The presentation made such an impression on the two of us, that it created a real hunger for more and more knowledge of the subject. We became passionate pre-tribulation rapture believers, and we would read everything we could find on the rapture from then on. Our church never had another pastor who taught on the subject of rapture. At least one or two pastors who followed professed to believe it, but acknowledged that they did not have sufficient knowledge of the subject to teach it.

In the early 1980’s my husband and I found Dr. Arnold Murray and his sons, Dennis and David, at The Shepherd’s Chapel. As an extension of their church’s ministry, they have had a teaching ministry broadcast on satellite for many years. We admired their different and simple approach to presenting the Word. Using the King James Version of the Bible, they teach book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter and line-by-line, and instruct their students to verify everything they teach by using their own Bibles. They also showed us how to rightly divide the Word. By using this method of study, it greatly expanded our knowledge and understanding of the Bible.

I have read the works of many who have written on the subject of rapture, both pro and con. Among those who hold to the rapture doctrine, there are a few differences in the way some verses of scripture are interpreted. The main differences I have found lie mostly in the beliefs concerning the timing of events. This is the reason that more of them are not cited in this writing.

My intent is to compare what man has to say on the subject with what God’s Word tells us about it. Drawing upon my own study and experiences I will present what I have learned of the beliefs that define the positions taken by those who believe in a rapture, and compare them to the teaching of the Word of God as I feel the Spirit has revealed it to me.

Some writers on the subject of rapture have a tendency to say uncharitable things of others who hold a different view, and to unfairly present the side of their opponents at times. Therefore I have earnestly and prayerfully sought to avoid any such criticisms and to simply expound on and emphasize the Word of God as the Holy Spirit leads. I have sought not to be influenced by any religious or doctrinal bias, but to allow the Scriptures to say what they say. It is my hope that this work will be judged by its agreement or disagreement with the Holy Word.

I have tried to obey the command: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy.2.15).

After asking for Divine wisdom in understanding what I study, the method I use to analyze a passage is to determine the subject and the object of each passage. This is especially critical to understanding the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek. This should be the first step in the process because the Greek language is very specific. It is necessary that the subject first be established, because the message in a passage refers to the subject at hand until another subject is introduced. This is very necessary for our purpose of considering verses that traditionally have been used to document the rapture theory. In particular, it will help us determine if a verse has been taken out of context in an attempt to apply it to the subject of a rapture.

Then, I think of the ‘Five W’s’—Who, What, Where, When and Why. This helps me to know who is speaking, and to whom they are speaking, to what situation or condition this scripture is addressing, and to determine the significance of it. If necessary, I can try to determine where the event took place, and what important clue the name of the place may reveal. I can attempt to determine when this event took place, or why something happened at that particular time or place.

The ‘Five W’s’ have a ‘sidekick: ‘How’, which is used many times when there is the need to know things like, How did this determine the outcome? How does it apply to this day?" These tools have helped me find answers to the many questions I have as I study the Bible, and they open up some Scriptures of which I need more understanding. This method of study has meant a world of difference in my own study. Perhaps other students of the Bible will find it helpful as well.

Too often Christians take the words they read at face value, not understanding that our Father makes use of analogies, parables and figures of speech to simplify His messages so we can better understand. When a passage doesn’t make sense to some or if they think what they are reading contradicts other Scriptures they have read, they become confused. An example of this is found in Luke.14.26: "If any man come to Me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple".

Right away, a red flag should go up for the Christian reading this verse, and they will know that something is not quite right with it. It needs to be rightly divided.

From childhood, we have been told that God expects us to love one another (1Peter.1. 22; John.3.11; 2John.1.5). We know that our God is a God of love; and He does not teach us to hate our family or anyone else. When we rightly divide this verse, we ask the question, "What does the word hate mean in the original writings"? By searching for the meaning of the word ‘hate’ as translated into English, we find that it actually means love less in the Greek language. There is a great deal of difference in our idea of what hate means and the words love less. So, we can conclude that what this verse is telling us is that we must love God more than we love anybody or anything else.

This should take our minds back to the Ten Commandments, the first one being: "Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me" (Exodus.20.3). By this, we know that God expects us to put Him before everything and everyone else that we love. Anything we put ahead of God in our life becomes an idol; our god. Almighty God will not share our affection—He expects us to give Him the love that He deserves, and rightly so. God honors our love for others, and our appreciation for the things we are allowed to have that bring pleasure to our lives, if we just keep them in their proper place.

It is because of God’s mercy and grace that He even blesses us at all. By His standards, we certainly don’t deserve it. Nothing should replace Him in our life because He is the giver of our life. He gives us the very breath we breathe and the opportunities to receive and experience His blessings. Without His Divine love, we would have no hope of receiving His ultimate blessing of eternal life.

There are other places that you might be prone to call error. Many words in the translation from the Hebrew and Greek into English often do not come through with the accurate meanings of words as they were originally written. I believe that God’s Word, as He originally gave it to the prophets, is infallible. But, when man touches things that God has created, man always seems to mess up. When any attempt is made to translate the Bible into other languages or to update previously translated versions, we should take into consideration that man’s mind has touched it.

You can do a very good study with a King James Version Bible and a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, which contains a complete Hebrew and Greek dictionary that will give meanings of any word found in the original manuscripts and translated into the King James Bible. Knowing that the Old Testament was written mostly in the Hebrew language, and the New Testament was written in Greek, will direct you to the appropriate dictionary section in the Strong’s Concordance.

In my study, I also use The Interlinear Bible in Hebrew, Greek and English, edited by Jay P. Green, Sr., and published by Sovereign Grace Publishers. This is very helpful for the student who knows no Hebrew or Greek.

Also, we can benefit from consulting with a fellow Christian if they are really grounded in the Word. But, beware of how much confidence you put in a know-it-all, because nobody knows all there is to know about the Word, even if some think they do and are not shy about proclaiming it. Remember to be diligent in consulting with the Father, asking for His Wisdom to help your understanding to be opened to know His Truth.

The purpose of this work is to settle the question of the actual Biblical teaching, or lack of teaching, if any, concerning the bodily removal of Christians known as the rapture, before the events encompassing the Tribulation of Antichrist occurs. It is offered in sincerity, in humility and in the hope that the truths offered within it bless and enrich the lives of the reader as much as they have enriched mine.

This work is written in love for and primarily to my human family, but it is written for the benefit of my spiritual family as well. I have been blessed with so many beautiful lives to share in this life. There