This article – an excerpt from my book “Left Behind Deconstructed: Why I Left Pre-Tribulation Rapture Behind” – is meant to help you disprove, refute, and debunk the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory (aka “Left Behind”)

In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul provides instruction on living a life pleasing to God, particularly emphasizing sanctification. He underscores the importance of self-control, honorable behavior, and the avoidance of wronging or exploiting a brother or sister. Paul also highlights the value of leading a peaceful life, attending to one’s own affairs, and working with one’s hands to garner respect and remain self-sufficient. In the latter part of the chapter, Paul addresses the Thessalonians’ concerns about believers who have passed away, ensuring the Thessalonians that they, too, will be resurrected at the coming of the Lord. He describes the momentous event where, with a shout and the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ will rise first, followed by the living believers who will meet the Lord in the air to welcome Him as He descends to Earth, emphasizing the comforting promise of forever being with the Lord.

Paul concludes by urging the Thessalonians to comfort one another with these words, assuring them of the hope inherent in the resurrection and the ultimate reunion with Jesus Christ for all—the dead and the living alike.

¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming (Παρουσίαν) of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet (ἀπάντησιν) the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul communicates a profound message, an encouragement concerning believers’ eventual reunion with their departed loved ones.

The framework of this passage is undeniably Paul’s attempt to comfort the Thessalonians, as indicated in verse 13 (“so that you do not grieve”) and verse 18 (“comfort one another”). But what is the nature of this comfort? Verse 17 is the key verse that Rapture proponents point to, specifically the term “caught up” (in Latin is “Rapturo,” from which we get the term “Rapture.”) This is seen as a distinct event where living believers are snatched away. However, there are several challenges with this view.

The Consolation of Whom?

First, how can the heavenly snatching of believers thousands of years later, whom the Thessalonians are unfamiliar with, serve as a consolation to them? Or, more bluntly, how could it comfort the Christian Iraqi mother whose 12-year-old Christian daughter was tragically killed by ISIS to know that some people she doesn’t even know, at some point in the future, would be snatched away and—unlike her family—avoid pain and suffering?

No One Is Really Dead

Second, the emphasis is on the passing (or “sleeping”) of the Thessalonians’ loved ones. In essence, Paul is trying to uplift those Thessalonians who’ve lost their dear ones by implying that these departed souls are merely “asleep” and that the Thessalonians will once again reunite with them in the resurrection.

Paul relates the resurrection of the dead in 1 Corinthians 15 as “the last enemy that will be overcome”. If the resurrection of the dead evidences the final victory over death, then Jesus will reside in heaven until His last enemy (death) is overcome. This means that Jesus’ coming or descending from the right hand of the Father cannot precede the resurrection of those who have “fallen asleep.”

If the Gospel revolves around Jesus conquering the ultimate adversary—death—on our behalf, then this victory should be the crux of Paul’s reassurance to the Thessalonians. Not a distant rapture involving strangers, but the present hope that the Thessalonians will, in time, reunite with their deceased loved ones who are “asleep in Christ.” This reading of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 aligns more consistently with other similar passages. For instance, 1 Corinthians 15 states: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised.”

Meeting Where?

Two Greek words that appear in this paragraph are usually used in reference to the second coming of Jesus.

The term “coming” (Παρουσίαν / parousía) is “used in the east as a technical expression for the royal visit of a king, or emperor. The word means literally ‘the being beside,’ thus, ‘the personal presence'”. Thus, “coming” in verse 15, historically, was used to depict the return of a ruler or king to his city. As the king approaches, the citizens come out to honor, greet, and escort him back into his city, symbolizing respect and homage. In this context, it doesn’t describe believers being remove out of the world but rather meeting Jesus in the air (whether literally and physically or symbolically) upon His return, accompanying and escorting Him into Earth.

The word “to meet” (ἀπάντησιν / apantésis) in verse 17 also appears in Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. There, the virgins go out toward the bridegroom and accompany him back to the wedding event. When the bridegroom met the virgins, he did not turn around and take them back to his father’s house. Rather, they turned around and escorted the bridegroom to the wedding. Another instance is in Acts 28, where believers come out to welcome Paul and escort him back into the city.

Thus, in all scenarios, believers don’t leave but come out to meet the honored guest outside the city gates and return with them, fitting the description of believers meeting Jesus in the heavens to escort Him back to Earth rather than being taken away from the world.

“Caught up”

The term “rapture” is derived from the Latin word ‘Rapere,’ which translates to “to seize” or “to abduct.” This is an interpretation of a Greek term that is presently rendered as “caught up” in many English translations of the Bible.

In verse 17, the Greek verb for “caught up” is ἁρπαγησόμεθα (Harpagesometha). According to New Testament scholar Leon Morris, contrary to the idea of an abduction, it suggests a combination of “the ideas of force and suddenness, reflecting the irresistible power of God.”

The contextual discussion of this topic starts in verse 13 and wraps up in verse 11 of the subsequent chapter. This segment of Paul’s letter was penned to address the concerns of the Thessalonian Christians. Upon examining verse 13, it’s evident that the Thessalonian Christians were mourning the deaths of some community members. Paul’s message was one of comfort, stating: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (verse 14).

Was Paul trying to encourage these grieving Thessalonians by telling them that Christ will swiftly pass by Earth to whisk away a select group of random people to heaven thousands of years later? The text doesn’t suggest that, and it wouldn’t make much sense, either.

Paul’s words offer more than mere consolation. As Morris also noted, not only will there be a reunion with Christ, but there will also be a reconnection with friends who have passed.

Further insight is provided by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown. They state:

“The leading topic of Paul’s preaching at Thessalonica having been the coming kingdom (Acts 17:7), some perverted it into a cause for fear in respect to friends lately deceased, as if these would be excluded from the glory which those found alive alone should share. This error Paul here corrects.”

Verse 15 underscores this: “We who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.”

This solace theme continues in verse 18: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Paul encapsulates his message in verses 10-11 of chapter 5 (keeping in mind the original text doesn’t have chapter breaks): “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.”

In conclusion, Paul’s messages to the Thessalonians aimed to comfort them about reuniting with their deceased loved ones, rather than discussing an arbitrary removal of unrelated strangers from Earth in the distant future.

This article was a short excerpt from my book “Left Behind Deconstructed: Why I Left Pre-Tribulation Rapture Behind“