Rapture

Every year as we approach the feast of Christ the King, our readings for Mass begin to shift focus from the general life and ministry of Jesus to specifically the “end times.” We will hear prophecies from Old and New Testament about the “Day of the Lord” as well as readings from Revelation and other apocalyptic books. However, we must acknowledge the level of confusion that come from other religions and denominations about these things. One specifically that a lot of Catholics have fallen into believing is called “Rapture Theory.”  

The Rapture is the idea that Jesus will come just before the “end times” begin to “rapture” (take up) the truly faithful to heaven while the rest, the lukewarm believers and the non-believers alike, will be left behind to suffer the trials and tribulations brought on by the plagues and the Antichrist. This theory was created in the 1850’s but has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years due to the Left Behind series and its attempted movie adaptations.

It cannot be stressed enough though: Rapture Theory is not Catholic teaching and never has been. As stated above, it was created in the 1850’s by certain American Protestant preachers that would go on to found the Adventist churches. It comes from a combination of an overly simplistic reading of the Book of Revelation and cherry-picking certain lines from the New Testament. For example, many typically point to 1 Thess. 4:16-17, which speaks about how those “who are left” will be caught up into heaven. What they fail to realize is that this is not talking about the “rapture” which precedes Jesus’ return; it is talking about Jesus’ return itself. Again, Rapture Theory is not a Catholic teaching.

This serves as a strong reminder that we must always strive to learn more and more about our Catholic faith. The more we can learn about it, the closer we can grow to Christ and the more effectively we can share Him with others. May we always strive to grow continually in our knowledge and love of Christ Jesus!