The Catching Away of the Believers… :: By Chuck Steele

The Catching Away of the Believers – The Why and When the Rapture of the Church Will Happen

Ten years ago, in 2015, I did my own personal research project on one of the most controversial topics among believers today: the ‘catching away,’ or as it’s most commonly referred to, the rapture of the church. It’s a topic that’s caused much division in the Body of Christ and has even split churches.

I decided to go to God’s written word, the Bible, and settle the issue once and for all in my own mind, and hopefully, have the opportunity to share what I learned with others.

Is the rapture scriptural? If it is, when is it going to happen? Is it a pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib event?

What I found in just one night of research was way more than I was expecting to find. God, through scripture, revealed the truth about this important topic to me, and I’d like to share it with you, and hopefully, remove any doubts you may also have about it.

Be prepared to be blessed!!!

Luke 17:26-30

“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Most of us have read these verses hundreds of times, but have you ever wondered why Noah and Lot were excluded from having to suffer the same judgments as their fellow countrymen, and what it was about them that made them stand out so much in God’s eyes? Surely, there was a reason why God chose to spare them from His wrath, but what was that reason?

I’d never heard this topic preached about or even talked about before by anybody, and I think the reason it’s NOT talked about is because for many churches today, talking about the end times is taboo, and they stay away from it.

In my opinion, the emphasis is misplaced when the focus of the ‘catching away’ of the true believers in Jesus Christ, in the rapture, is focused solely on WHEN it’s going to happen (pre-mid-post) instead of WHY it’s going to happen. What I mean by that is if we can understand WHY Noah and Lot, and their families, were removed from harm’s way ahead of time, BEFORE God brought judgment down, then the question as to the WHY and WHEN we too should expect that same protection should answer itself based on that information.

You see, God is the same “yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 11:8). He never changes. His methodologies never change. God is going to protect us the same way He did Noah and Lot, and I’m going to show you every scripture that backs that up. It’s not hidden knowledge. It’s right there in black and white. It’s simple to understand, clear for all to see, and it’s so obvious once you do see it. All you have to do is look for it.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

So let’s go ahead and look at WHY God spared Noah and Lot, and their families, and WHY he’s also going to do the same for us.

[NOTE:  All the CAPS in the scriptures quoted are my edits/emphasis. You’ll notice them throughout this study.]

THE FOUNDATION FOR THIS STUDY IS FOUND IN THE FOLLOWING VERSE:

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

KEY POINT #1… We’ve been made RIGHTEOUS through Jesus.

We all know the story of the flood found in Genesis 7. Noah was warned by God that He was going to destroy the world by a flood and that he was to build an ark so that he and his family would be kept safe from it, and as we all know, that’s exactly what happened.

Considering that up until the flood, it had never rained before, Noah probably didn’t have any idea what God was even talking about, but through blind faith [isn’t that what faith is?], he obeyed and did as God instructed him to do anyway, and he and his family were indeed kept protected from the flood. The ark was their place of refuge.

But we still haven’t answered the question as to WHY Noah and his family were spared. How was Noah able to have such a special relationship with God?

WAS NOAH WITHOUT SIN???

Of course not! Romans 3:23 tells us, “ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

So why did God set him and his family apart from all the other sinners? The answer is found in the very first verse of chapter 7: “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen RIGHTEOUS before me in this generation” (Genesis 7:1).

But wait. Doesn’t that contradict scripture because in Romans 3:10 it says, “there is NONE righteous, NOT EVEN ONE.”

No, it doesn’t contradict scripture because if you look at KEY POINT #1 again near the top of this page, it says that we’ve been MADE RIGHTEOUS THROUGH JESUS [2 Corinthians 5:21]. Romans 3:10 is talking about the lost who are outside of Christ. They’ve rejected Him, so therefore, they ARE NOT righteous. They aren’t members of the Body of Christ. You and I were the same way before our salvation, but now we’re ALSO righteous THROUGH CHRIST.

SIDE NOTE: The flood was before the Cross, so it was through Noah’s faith, trust, and obedience to and in God that made him righteous, and this is what made him stand out from the crowd, and why he found favor with God.  Today, AFTER the cross, it’s only through the blood of Jesus that we are saved and made righteous.

Noah’s righteousness was the ticket to safety for him and his family. He witnessed to his friends and neighbors [and his enemies] and even those who helped him build the ark of what was coming, and they could have made their own preparations to get ready for it. But instead of doing that, they chose to ignore the warnings, and they paid the ultimate price because of their unbelief.

As soon as God closed the door to that ark, THERE’D NO LONGER BE AN ESCAPE FOR THOSE OUTSIDE THE ARK FROM GOD’S WRATH, and they all perished. Isn’t that what 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says is going to happen again? “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; AND THEY SHALL NOT ESCAPE.”

Notice the parallel between when God closes the door to the ark in Genesis 7, and when the Lord closes the door at the marriage of the Lamb in Matthew 25:10: “And while they went to buy, THE BRIDEGROOM CAME; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT.

KEY POINT #2…”the bridegroom came, AND THEY THAT WERE READY WENT IN WITH HIM TO THE MARRIAGE: AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT.” Keep in mind that our ARK today is Jesus. All of us who are IN Christ will be caught up and will go in with Him to the marriage feast at the time of the rapture, and the door to the ARK [JESUS], and heaven, will be shut. Anyone not found in Jesus will suffer the same fate as those outside the ark in Noah’s day.

Now let’s look at Revelation 4:1 and see when the door [to the marriage] opens, and then we can tie this all together so it makes sense: “After this I looked, and, behold, A DOOR WAS OPENED IN HEAVEN: and the first voice which I heard was AS IT WERE OF A TRUMPET TALKING WITH ME; which said, COME UP HITHER, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

God is giving us a glimpse at how the rapture is going to occur. The door will open, a voice will be heard, which sounds like a trumpet, and the call to COME UP HITHER will sound forth, and all who are in Christ will hear it, and we’ll meet Him in the air. This is all going to happen in the twinkling of an eye. In other words, the door in Rev 4:1 is going to open and close almost simultaneously. “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27).

Regarding the flood, I want to point out the obvious, and that is that God brought the flood AFTER Noah and his family entered the ark. Nowhere in scripture will we find that God told Noah and his family to be prepared to tread water for 40 days and 40 nights. And nowhere did He tell them that as soon as the water reached waist-high that they could then board the ark. As a matter of fact, Noah and his family were on the ark a whole week BEFORE God closed the door and BEFORE the first drop of rain even fell. They never even got their feet wet!

“And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation” (Genesis 7:1). And in Genesis 7:4, “For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.”

The notion that we believers, made RIGHTEOUS through Christ, have to endure 7 years of God’s wrath, or even a small part of it, goes totally against scripture.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6).

Further, 1st Thessalonians 5:9 says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” It doesn’t get any clearer than that, does it? Either obtain salvation and escape God’s wrath, or don’t get saved and suffer God’s wrath. It’s pretty much a no-brainer for me.

Well, what about Lot? Why was he also spared when God destroyed Sodom?

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is found in Genesis 19, and for the sake of time and space, I’m going to condense it. Again, you can read it for yourselves if you’re not already familiar with it.

To make a long story short, two angels were sent by God to get Lot and his family out of Sodom before God destroyed it. They weren’t crazy about having to leave their home, and it says the angels literally took them by the hand and practically had to drag them out. They told Lot to get away quickly, and they allowed Lot to take his family to a place called Zoar, which was a bit of a hike, but it was doable for them, and they left.

SIDE NOTE: There were actually FIVE cities that God was going to destroy. Sodom and Gomorrah were just two of them. I don’t remember two of the others, but the fifth one was called Zoar, but since God allowed them to take refuge there, he spared it.

Now look at what God told Lot through the angels: “And he said to him, ‘See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you ARRIVE there” (Genesis 19:21-22).

DO YOU SEE THAT? God waited to destroy the other four cities until Lot and his family had arrived in Zoar and were safely tucked in.

WHY did God choose to save Lot and his family? For the same reason He saved Noah’s. The answer is found in 2 Peter 2:6-8. Pay special attention to verse 8:

“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: ⁸ (For that RIGHTEOUS man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his RIGHTEOUS soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”

The common thread that set Noah and Lot apart from everybody else is that they were RIGHTEOUS. Noah didn’t have to tread water, and Lot didn’t have to dodge fireballs. God waited until they were both safely in their places of refuge before His wrath was let loose.

KEY POINT #3…GOD DOESN’T JUDGE THE RIGHTEOUS WITH THE WICKED!!!

FINALLY, the icing on the cake!!!

The following is a conversation between God and Abraham as recorded in Genesis 18. This is going to, once and for all, put to rest ANY doubts about the timing of the rapture. It’s going to show, without a doubt, that it’s BEFORE the tribulation period. Not only are we going to look at that, but as an added bonus, we’re also going to solidify, again, beyond a shadow of a doubt, ‘who’ the restrainer is in 2 Thessalonians 2:7: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now RESTRAINS will do so until He is taken out of the way.” There’s even disagreement on that among some of us.

This conversation between God and Abraham takes place before God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. I’m going to quote all eleven verses so that you can read them for yourself, and also so that we can keep everything in context. I love this conversation. Abraham cracks me up in this exchange between him and God. If you read it as many times as I have, you’ll see that it’s actually kind of funny how Abraham keeps whittling the number down. I can picture him getting really squeamish and maybe even squinting a little bit as he keeps pressing God in the matter at hand. Abraham was a bold man!

Genesis 18:22-33

“And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

“And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:  Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.  And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.  And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

“And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. ³² And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.”

Is this not a beautiful example of everything we’ve been talking about? If you had doubts about whether or not there is going to be a rapture, or when it takes place, have you been reassured that it IS going to take place and that it WILL happen BEFORE the tribulation period?

Notice in verse 32 when the Lord said, “I will not destroy it (Sodom) for ten’s sake.” Actually, God did even BETTER than that. If you recall in Genesis 19:21 concerning God sparing Zoar because of Lot and his family being sent there, “And he (God) said to him (Lot), ‘See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.’” Zoar was scheduled for termination along with the other four cities, but because Lot was allowed to go there for refuge, God spared it. So for even just ONE righteous person, God wouldn’t destroy it.

And the ‘restrainer’?  Read verses 21 and 22 again, and you’ll find the answer in verse 22:21. “And he said to him, ‘See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there. FOR I CANNOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL YOU ARRIVE THERE.”

KEY POINT #4…As long as there is even just ONE righteous believer on the earth, God CANNOT destroy it, because as Abraham pointed out, GOD WOULD NEVER DESTROY THE RIGHTEOUS WITH THE WICKED!

Hopefully, this article answers everybody’s questions about whether the ‘catching away’ of believers is scriptural or not, and also solidifies in everyone’s mind about when it takes place, which is before God’s wrath is poured out on unbelievers.

God bless and Maranatha.

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