The rapture, often called "the blessed hope," is sadly more hoax than hope, even though the man who started it had no intention of deceiving anyone. You need to know what the Bible actually says!
by Cecil E. Maranville
The rapture is widely taught and believed in Christianity today. Popular books and movies spin themes around this doctrine that essentially teaches Christ will come back twice, first coming only into the atmosphere to snatch believers away to heaven for several years; then actually returning to set foot on the earth.
We live in a time when most are content to get their knowledge of religion secondhand, preferably through dramatic presentations, including stage, screen and novels.
But you cannot afford to neglect your personal responsibility to prove the truth!
Those willing to take a careful look at the Bible will see that the rapture theory doesn't stand up to the scrutiny of God's Word.
The rapture was popularized in the 1970s by Hal Lindsey's writings (The Late Great Planet Earth, etc.) and more recently by Jim Jenkins and Tim LaHaye in their Left Behind fictional books and films. But where did the idea of the rapture originate?
The origin of the rapture theory
Credit for its origin generally goes to John Nelson Darby, a 19th-century theologian.
Let's define some common terms to help one navigate the technicalities,
for in reading about the rapture, you will often encounter the words postmillennialism,
amillennialism and premillennialism. First, the root word, Millennium, comes
from the Latin for 1,000 years. Religiously, it refers to the first 1,000
years of Christ's reign over the Kingdom of God on earth (Revelation 20:4).
