How Does Messianic Jewish Thought View “The Rapture?”
Many devout Christians anticipate an event known as "the rapture," where they believe Jesus will briefly visit Earth to take away true Christians, instantly transporting them to heaven. This event involves believers undergoing a transformation into immortal beings, following the resurrection of deceased Christians who will be revived and ascend to meet Christ first. Living Christians will follow closely behind. This ascension will see Christ returning to heaven with these believers. Popular depictions of the rapture often involve chaotic scenes with unmanned cars and baffled individuals left behind. In "pre-tribulation" eschatology, the raptured Christians stay in heaven for seven years, during which God pours out His judgment on those remaining on Earth, including Jewish people who did not convert before the rapture. After the seven-year tribulation, the raptured return with Christ to fight in the battle of Armageddon, implying a second and then a third coming of Christ. Theories about the rapture vary, with "pre-tribulation," "post-tribulation," and "mid-tribulation" camps differing on the timing relative to the tribulation period. Despite these differences, all believe in the certainty of the rapture.
The Latin Word Rapiemu
The concept of the rapture, wherein Christians are taken up to meet Christ at his return, is primarily embraced by dispensationalist Evangelicals and is not widely accepted in traditional Christianity. Read more about Dispensationalism here. Critics argue that the rapture is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. This is semi-true. The term "rapture" originates from the Latin word "rapiemu," meaning "carried off" or "caught up," found in the fifth century Latin Vulgate translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17:
The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up [rapiemu] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
This passage describes believers being caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord. Dispensationalists also reference 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Philippians 3:20-21, and Matthew 24:40-41 to support the rapture concept. However, closer scrutiny reveals that these verses do not explicitly endorse the idea of a mass evacuation to heaven.
We Shall Be Changed — But Not Necessarily Raptured
First-century Jewish eschatology anticipated the resurrection of the dead at the arrival of the Messiah. Paul reaffirms this expectation in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, describing how the "dead in Christ" will rise at the sound of the trumpet, and those believers who are alive will be transformed into imperishable bodies. However, Paul does not mention the rapture or being caught up into the air. Instead, he focuses on the transformation and resurrection that will occur:
"Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
Our Citizenship is in Heaven Argument
Dispensationalists often cite Philippians 3 to support the rapture theory, interpreting it as evidence that believers will be taken to heaven. However, the passage speaks only of a transformation from mortal to immortal states at the Messiah's coming, without mentioning a rapture:
"Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21).
The phrase "our citizenship is in heaven" implies that heaven is the source of authority and identity for believers, similar to how Roman citizenship conferred privileges without requiring physical presence in Rome. This metaphor highlights the believers' allegiance and ultimate transformation, not a literal ascent to heaven.
One Will Be Taken and One Left Behind
A frequently cited text by rapture teachers, which inspired Christian media like Larry Norman's song "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" and the "Left Behind" series, is Matthew 24:40-41:
"Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left." (Matthew 24:40-41)
This passage is often interpreted to mean that Jesus will rapture true believers, leaving behind non-Christians. However, the context suggests a different interpretation. Jesus likens His return to the days of Noah when the flood came and took people away in judgment (Matthew 24:37-39). Similarly, the "taken" in Matthew 24:40-41 refers to those taken in judgment, not believers raptured to heaven. This is clarified in Luke 17, where those "taken" are compared to those who perished in Noah's flood and Sodom's destruction (Luke 17:27, 29, 32). Jesus explains that the taken will end up where vultures gather, indicating death (Luke 17:37). Thus, being "left behind" is preferable, as it means surviving God's judgment. Wherever the “taken” go, according to these passages, we do not want to go as well. This theme is echoed in Ezekiel 39:17-19 and Revelation 19:17-21, where the slain wicked become food for birds. The righteous, like Noah, will be preserved (2 Peter 2:9).
“The Rapture” in the Torah and The Prophets - The Context for New Testament Thought
The rapture theory, which posits that believers will be caught up in the air with Jesus, primarily rests on a single Pauline text: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. This solitary passage provides thin evidence for a concept that significantly deviates from established Jewish eschatology. The apostles, including Paul, were not innovators; their teachings generally aligned with conventional Jewish thought. When Yeshua or the apostles introduced controversial ideas, such as healing on the Sabbath or including Gentiles in the kingdom, they did so with extensive argumentation and support from the Torah and Hebrew Scriptures. Given this context, it seems unlikely that Paul would introduce something as novel and significant as the rapture without any precedent in Moses, the prophets, or Yeshua's teachings. Critics highlight that the rapture concept has only been considered for about a century, gaining traction through John Nelson Darby's dispensationalist teachings in the late 19th century and becoming widely popularized by Hal Lindsey's end-times books in the 1970s and 1980s. This modern belief, now embedded in Evangelical eschatology and influencing Messianic Jewish thought, raises the question: can the expectation of a rapture be reconciled with traditional Jewish perspectives, or is it an innovation without strong biblical foundation? What do we make of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18?
Near the end of Deuteronomy, the Torah presents a grim series of curses leading to the destruction and exile of the Jewish people, with Moses stating:
"The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other" (Deuteronomy 28:64).
However, God also promises to regather His scattered people:
"If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you" (Deuteronomy 30:4).
In the first century, Jews believed the Messiah would facilitate this ingathering, as reflected in Targum Pseudo-Yonatan (learn more about the Targums here), which envisions the Messiah and Elijah gathering the exiles (Deuteronomy 30:4).
Though you may be dispersed unto the ends of the heavens, from there will the Word of the Lord gather you together by the hand of Elijah the great priest, and from there will He bring you by the hand of King Messiah. (Targum Pseudo-Yonatan on Deuteronomy 30:4)
Throughout history, including the exiles by Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans, Jews have remained scattered globally. Moses and the prophets assured that God would eventually gather His chosen people from the earth's four corners and bring them back to their homeland. Jewish prayers, recited thrice daily, plead for this ingathering:
Blast the great shofar ["trumpet"] for our freedom. Lift a banner to gather our exiles, and quickly gather us together from the four corners of the earth to our land. Blessed are You, O LORD, who gathers the outcasts of his people Israel. (Shmoneh Esrei 10)
The Talmud (learn more about the Talmud here) underscores the significance of this event, equating it to the creation of heaven and earth. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel affirmed this promise, with Isaiah proclaiming that the LORD will "assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah" (Isaiah 11:12), Jeremiah foreseeing the gathering of the remnant from all countries (Jeremiah 23:3), and Ezekiel declaring God's intent to gather and restore His people to the land of Israel (Ezekiel 11:17).
Isaiah and Ezekiel both link the ingathering of the Jewish exiles to the blowing of a great trumpet and the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah foretells, "In that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem" (Isaiah 27:13). Similarly, Ezekiel describes the ingathering with the coming of the Messiah, using "David" as a messianic title: "Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land... And one king shall be king over them all... My servant David shall be king over them" (Ezekiel 37:21-24).
Jewish eschatology thus connects the ingathering of exiles with the trumpet of the Messiah, his coming, and the final redemption. Jesus (Yeshua) invokes these messianic expectations, referencing these prophecies, when he says the Son of Man will "send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other" (Matthew 24:31 NASB). Here, "His elect" refers not to Christians as per replacement theology but to the chosen people of Israel.
Ezekiel connects the ingathering of the exiles with the resurrection of the dead. In the vision of the valley of dry bones, the LORD tells the exiles of Israel, "I will open your graves and raise you from [the nations], O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 37:12). This association explains why Jewish eschatology links the sound of the great trumpet, which heralds the ingathering and the coming of the Messiah, with the resurrection of the dead. The trumpet of the Messiah is believed to summon both the exiles and the deceased. These elements of Jewish expectation align with Paul's descriptions in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, indicating that “the rapture”, the resurrection, the ingathering of Israel, the coming of the Messiah, and the trumpet of the LORD are aspects of the same event: the Day of the LORD. Paul's references to this event in his epistles assumed his audience's familiarity with the well-established Jewish doctrine of the ingathering, thus negating the need for explicit proof texts.
What Paul Really Meant
When Paul mentioned the ingathering, he assumed his readers would understand he was referring to the gathering of Jews to Jerusalem by the Messiah. While his original audience likely grasped this, later Gentile Christians did not, leading to interpretations that Paul spoke of Christians being taken to heaven. In fact, Paul was referring to Messianic Jews, those "in Christ," being raised and gathered. He did not explicitly address the fate of non-Yeshua-believing Jews in this event. However, regarding Gentile believers, Paul indicates they are included as fellow heirs with Israel, sharing in the messianic ingathering. Isaiah 56:8 supports this inclusive vision, stating that the Sovereign LORD will gather others in addition to Israel's exiles:
The Sovereign LORD declares-he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered." (Isaiah 56:8 NIV)
Additionally, Matthew 8:11 depicts a time when people from all directions will join the patriarchs in the kingdom of heaven, further emphasizing the inclusion of Gentile disciples in the ingathering.
Where are the Gathered Destined to Go?
Rapture teachers often claim that Christians will be raptured to heaven, but according to the prophets, the true destination is the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Moses proclaimed, "The LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed" (Deuteronomy 30:5), and Ezekiel affirmed, "I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land" (Ezekiel 37:21). The renowned Torah commentator Rashi supported this concept of a divine ingathering, suggesting God will personally gather each exile, referencing Isaiah’s words, "You will be gathered up one by one, O sons of Israel. It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were scattered will come" (Isaiah 27:12-13). Isaiah also envisioned this ingathering as an aerial journey, asking, "Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?" (Isaiah 60:8), with rabbis interpreting this as the exiles being transported on clouds to Jerusalem. This aligns with Paul's assertion that "we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Therefore, followers of Yeshua can expect to be transported with Israel's exiles to Jerusalem, where they will partake in the grand coronation of the King, fulfilling Paul's promise that "we will always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Closing Thoughts
In examining the concept of the rapture through the lens of traditional Jewish eschatology and biblical prophecy, it becomes evident that the event described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 aligns more closely with the ingathering of Jewish exiles to Israel rather than an evacuation to heaven. The prophets, including Isaiah and Ezekiel, emphasize the return to the land of Israel and Jerusalem, supported by Jewish liturgy and prophetic writings. Understanding the rapture within this context highlights the importance of interpreting New Testament teachings through the Jewish lens in which they were originally written. This perspective not only deepens the theological understanding of eschatological events but also bridges the gap between Christian and Jewish expectations of the Messiah's return and the final redemption.
References
This study was curated by using resources from First Fruits of Zion and teachings by Daniel Lancaster.