“You will surely arise and take pity on Tzioin, for it is time to be gracious
To her, the appointed time has come. Your servants will delight
In its stones and cherish its dust. The nations will fear the name
Of Hashem, all the kings of the earth, Your glory.” — Psalms 102:14 TIB
The Secret Rapture teaches that the return of Jesus Christ will be secret. He comes secretly and snatches His followers away to go to heaven with Him. They speculate others might be standing in front of you talking, and suddenly they will disappear in the rapture and be taken to heaven, leaving you wondering, “Where did they go?” The word “rapture” is actually not in the Bible.
The Jews are excluded from this rapture, but later are converted to become a part of the 144,000 who preach the gospel to those left behind. This part of the teaching is antisemitic for the Secret Rapture. Those who teach this fail to understand that the Jews are God’s chosen people and have their own covenant relationship with God. As Christians, we are grafted into the covenant promises made to the Jews with them to partake of the Olive tree representing Israel according to the apostle Paul (Romans 11:17). Concerning Israel, he says the gifts and calling of God for Israel are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). The teaching that Christ is not coming back for the Jew, but only the Christian Church as His bride, is not biblical. The bride in Scripture is a Jewish Bride (Revelation 21:2). The Secret Rapture is one of the most antisemitic teachings Christians hold and teach today.
The Origin of the Secret Rapture
The Secret Rapture goes back to the time of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther and John Calvin taught that the Catholic Church or the Papacy was the Antichrist in prophecy. Catholic leaders wanted a way to counter this teaching, so they called in two of their Jesuit scholars and asked them to develop an alternative teaching.
A Spanish Jesuit priest, Alchsar, developed what is known as Preterism in 1554. He taught that the Antichrist appeared in the past with the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. by Rome. Therefore, the Pope is not the Antichrist.
The second priest was Francisco Ribera. In 1537, he wrote and taught what is known as “Futurism.” He split the return of Jesus into two events. His first appearance will be secret, where He will rapture away His followers. No one will see Him. Revelation chapters 1 to 4 are seen as for the Church. The rest of the Book of Revelation is fulfilled in the future after the Church is gone. The Antichrist appears after the rapture in the model of Futurism. Therefore, the Catholic Church or its head cannot be the Antichrist because he will not appear until the Church is raptured away. These alternative teachings were developed to deceive Protestants. If Martin Luther, who started the Reformation, knew his followers were teaching the Secret Rapture hatched by the Papacy, he would turn over in his grave.
How the Secret Rapture Teaching Came into Modern Times
Futurism and the rapture were put into the footnotes of the Scofield Bible. Charles Darby of England picked up this teaching and started using it. Years later, Hal Lindsey in America used it in his book, The Late Great Planet Earth. He later made a movie on this popular teaching. The release of the book and film in the 1960s was the beginning of introducing this teaching to mainline churches in America. This teaching was followed by the Thief in the Night films in the early 1970s, and later with the Left Behind series in 2006 by Tim LaHaye. What all this history tells us is that the Secret Rapture has only been used as a widespread teaching in churches since the early 1960s. It is now taught in most Bible schools. It was not taught by the Bible or by the early Church Fathers. It is a modern theological invention.
Today, 60 percent of all clergy in America believe and teach the Secret Rapture.
The Secret Rapture is taught in many seminaries and Bible schools like Dallas Theological Seminary. The troubling result is that many who hold this view see no reason to study the Book of Revelation. They believe they will not be here on the earth during the tribulation that is coming, according to their interpretation of Revelation.
Scriptures Used to Support the Secret Rapture
There are several Bible texts used to prove the return of Jesus will be “secret,” but a close look at these texts disproves this claim of secrecy. The first scripture reference is in 2 Peter 3:10, and it says: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.”
They believe this idea of Jesus coming as “a thief” means no one will see Him. If you read on in the verse, it disproves this claim. It goes on to say, “in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.” There is no “secret coming of Jesus” being taught by this text. He comes as a thief in that they were not expecting Him, but they will know He is here when there is “a great noise.”
The next text used to support a secret return is found in Matthew 24:43.
This text says the Lord is returning like a thief, so you need to be ready and watch. This term “thief” is not referring to the “manner” of His coming, but to the point in time, so we are not caught unprepared like a thief breaking into our house. In Matthew 24:26, Jesus warns against the idea of a secret appearing, “If they say that He is returned in a ‘secret room,’ do not believe it. For as lightning comes forth from the East and flashes to the West, so also will the Son of Man be.” Jesus did not teach a secret rapture. In fact, He warned against the idea of His return being secret.
The Next Text Used for the Secret Rapture is Luke 17:26–37
This is another key text that speaks about what will happen when Jesus returns. The rapture teaching uses Luke 17:35 to teach secrecy: “Two women will be grinding together in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.” The idea is that one woman disappears and the other is left behind. The one left behind is left wondering where the other went. It is represented that this will happen to Christians all over the world when the Secret Rapture happens. It is portrayed that only the clothes of those raptured will be left of them lying on the ground. Thousands will be missing. Driverless cars will be headed down the road when they suddenly disappear when raptured.
The context of this verse is important in its interpretation. It does not say what happens to the one left behind. There is a series of illustrations given in this chapter on what happens when the “Son of Man” returns to the earth. The first illustration is in verse twenty-six. It says that “as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, they drank and married until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” The idea is that some were taken and some were left behind. What happens to those left behind? It is clear that they are destroyed.
Luke 17:28 — The Days of Lot Example
Another illustration is given in this series using the story of Lot. It again says the people were eating, drinking, and giving in marriage, but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained down fire from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so, it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. Once again, we see that some are taken, and some are left behind. What is the condition of those left behind? They are destroyed.
Luke 17:35 — The Two Women Grinding in the Field
The example of the two women grinding in the field is understood by the series of illustrations given before this one. The idea that some will be taken and some will be left behind is now clear. Those left behind are not looking around and saying, “What happened?” They are destroyed according to the examples given.
Antisemitism in the Secret Rapture
Antisemitism is reflected in this teaching of the Secret Rapture. According to the Secret Rapture teaching, Jesus is coming back, but the Jews are left behind. He is not coming back for them, but only for the Christians. The Third Temple will be used by the Antichrist in this teaching after the rapture. He will take over the Third Temple. Those who are teaching this idea use this proof text:
“The Day of the Lord shall not come until the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4)
Martin Luther and the Application of This Text in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4
During the Reformation, Martin Luther believed this description of the Antichrist in this text applied to the pope. He sits in a temple claiming to be God. It is believed in Catholicism that the pope is “God on earth.” He is worshiped by people who bow before him and kiss his ring. All of this has nothing to do with the Third Temple. The teaching of the Secret Rapture on the Antichrist taking over the Third Temple distorts our attention as to its actual use for God’s people.
The End Times Use of the Third Temple
The Third Temple is to have an impact on all peoples and nations. Isaiah the prophet says that the temple will be exalted so that all nations will flow to it (Isaiah 2:2). It will be known as “a house of prayer for all nations.” The sons of foreigners will also come to join with the Lord and love His name at this temple: “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7). The text goes on to say, this is a Jewish house or temple. It has altars and burns sacrifices. It does not belong to the Antichrist. It belongs to the Lord and the Jewish people. It actually serves all mankind. It also serves all nations on the earth. Those holding the Secret Rapture view see the Third Temple as something that serves the Antichrist. The Scripture shows it as being used to unite the nations in prayer and to reveal the glory of God. Which is the true purpose of the temple?
It is time to purge antisemitism from Christian theology which is distorting Israel’s role in the Last Day Prophecy.
Dangers of the Secret Rapture Teaching
Some teach that if you are not ready for Jesus when He comes, you can have a second chance to make it into heaven. They say there will be a second chance as long as you do not take the “Mark of the Beast” shown in Revelation 13:18:
“He (the beast) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the number of his name. The number of the beast is the number of a man: his number is 666.”
The title the pope takes on entering office is Vicarius Filii Dei. It translates to “Vicar of the Son of God.” It literally means “in place of God.” The numerical value of this title is 666 in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Hence, the number of his name is 666 (Revelation 13:18). As the prophecy says of the Antichrist: “He sits in the temple (Vatican) showing himself to be God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4)
Another danger of this teaching is that those who hold this teaching believe they will not be here during the tribulation, so there is no need to prepare or even study the rest of the Book of Revelation past the first four chapters. This is because they believe they will not be here according to the Secret Rapture teaching. They will just leave it to the Jews who are left behind. Here is a point of clarification: God did not have to remove the Jews from the land of Goshen to protect them during the ten plagues He poured out in Egypt. He protected them with blood applied to the family home on the doorposts. In the Book of Revelation, eight of the ten plagues in the Exodus will be repeated during the tribulation. They will be poured out on those who take the mark of the beast and who worship the beast (see Revelation 14:9–10; 18:4).
God’s Correction to the Secret Rapture Teaching
God’s correction for those who are second-chance minded: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me.” (Revelation 22:12–13 / see also 1 Thessalonians 4:16)
The reward does not come later—it comes when Jesus appears. Christ also warns about being ready:
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44)
There is only one reward for all men when Jesus comes—if you are ready. There are no second chances. Those who will be welcomed at the Lord’s house of prayer for all nations at the restored temple will not have the mark of the beast.
An angel warns of coming judgment in the Book of Revelation with this warning:
“Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water. If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall drink from the wine of God’s wrath.” (Revelation 14:7, 9)
Here is the key in this verse: it is all about worship! If we have the seal of God and worship Him as the Creator, we will not have the mark of the beast. If we have the mark of the beast and worship him, we will not have the seal of God, and we will be judged:
“I saw another angel having the seal of the living God saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’” (Revelation 7:3–4)
What Does the Book of Revelation Say About How Jesus Will Return?
Does it allow for a Secret Rapture? The answer is very clear in the first chapter of the book:
“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him.”
This verse agrees with the witness of the angels on the Mount of Olives when they saw Jesus depart in Acts 1:8:
“While they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’”
The Book of Revelation confirms this witness of the angels. Jesus does come back in like manner as He left. He left physically, visibly, and with clouds. This is exactly how He comes back, as seen in the Book of Revelation. No secrecy is seen in any of these witnesses.
The Secret Rapture is not biblical and distorts and distracts attention away from end-time events that the Bible stresses to be important. It devalues the role of the Jewish people and the Third Temple in its use. It marginalizes the Jewish people, who it sees as not worthy to be claimed by a returning Messiah. They are left behind in this teaching. They are not honored as God’s chosen people. There is a need to focus on what the Bible actually does say about the return of Christ for Christians, the role of the Jewish people, the Third Temple, and the role of Israel in prophecy. All of these important topics are distorted in the teachings of the Secret Rapture. Since many Christians today believe in the Secret Rapture teachings, there is currently a great distortion as to Israel’s role in last-day prophecy. It is time to remove antisemitism from the Christian Church and its teachings for the last days.
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Israel365 News
