PCG: “The Truth About the Secret Rapture”

Hiroshima After the Atomic Bomb Was Detonated

Will those who believe in a secret rapture be “left behind” for events like atomic devastation?

A few days ago, PCG’s Fred Dattalo posted the following:

Those who believe in the rapture are convinced that the most exhilarating experience of their lives could happen at any moment, without warning. They suppose that they, along with multitudes of people from all over the world, will suddenly disappear—be “translated”—to heaven when Christ returns invisibly and in secret to whisk away the church right before the world is plunged into the Great Tribulation that He foretold. Some include dead Christians brought back to life to be in this group. This momentous event, they believe, is only the first phase of Jesus Christ’s return…

The word rapture is not found anywhere in the Bible, yet God does reveal that there is a way to escape the Great Tribulation that’s coming soon…

But how and where will true Christians be protected? It’s not by way of a secret rapture to heaven!

The proof is found in chapter 12 of Revelation. To understand it, you need to realize that a “woman” is sometimes used as a symbol for a church (see 2 Corinthians 11:1-2 and Ephesians 5:23-32). In Revelation 12, the woman referred to is a symbol for God’s Church.

Notice how the true Church is protected from the coming Tribulation: “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time [one year], and times [two years], and half a time [half a year—a total of 3½ years], from the face of the serpent [Satan]” (Revelation 12:14). So the Church is not taken to heaven but to a specific place in “the wilderness” here on Earth! “And the earth helped the woman …” (verse 16)…

A Final Warning

If you believe in the rapture, you are being deprived of the knowledge and understanding of how to escape the soon-coming Great Tribulation and the plagues of the Day of the Lord! If you think you can wait for the rapture to take you away, you will not have an opportunity to flee from the most horrendous suffering ever experienced on planet Earth—because the rapture will never come. Jesus warns that you will be caught suddenly and unexpectedly, like an animal entrapped by a snare (Luke 21:35). That is exactly what Satan wants to happen to you.

The devil knows that the true Church of God will be taken to a place of safety during the wrath to come, but he doesn’t want youto know this truth. That’s why the rapture teaching has been promulgated throughout protestantism. Millions of professing christians around the world have accepted this false doctrine. Is it possible that when Jesus returns, many of them will think that He’s an alien invader or “the antichrist” because the rapture will not have occurred?…

Christ condemns those who adhere to the doctrine of men rather than the truth of God. He said, “in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). How about you? Are you worshiping God in vain? Will you go on clinging to a false hope—blindly believing a tradition of men—or will you carefully prove the truth from your Bible? God expects you to prove all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Your very life is at stake.?

And on these points he is correct (though those in his and other such groups themselves need to stop clinging to false hopes and be true Philadelphians and not Laodiceans–and should read the article Are the Laodiceans the Modern Sadducees and Pharisees?).

Furthermore, the Catholic/Orthodox world will also not understand what is happening.

The truth is that the Bible promises protection on the earth for the true Philadelphian remnant of the Church of God (which now is primarily composed of the faithful within the Living Church of God).

If rapture theorists would actually accept the teachings of the Bible over traditions of men, they would be able to understand this. If they will not, they will be deceived and will themselves be “left behind” to witness atomic destruction.

Articles of related interest may include:

There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Who really is left behind?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? What is prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When will there be a nuclear attack against the US, UK, and Canada?
Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Catholic writings indicate this, but what does the Bible show?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012 There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date?