27/10/2025
The secret rapture is a modern theory without biblical foundation. Scripture teaches only one visible, glorious, and final coming of Christ.
1. Biblical foundation / Matthew 24:27, 30–31: “As lightning comes... so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Visible and audible, not secret. \ 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17: “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout… and the dead in Christ will rise first.” The resurrection and the meeting with Christ occur simultaneously, not years apart. Revelation 1:7: “Every eye will see Him.” There is no text describing an invisible coming.
2. The state of the dead: Ecclesiastes 9:5–6: “The dead know nothing.”
John 11:11–14: Jesus calls death a “sleep.”
Acts 2:34: “David did not ascend into the heavens.”
Humans do not go to heaven or hell at death. They rest in the grave, awaiting resurrection.
3. The change from Sabbath to Sunday
Exodus 20:8–11: The Sabbath was instituted at creation.
There is no biblical order to change it. Daniel 7:25 predicted that the little horn would “think to change times and law.” Historically, this change was enforced in the 4th century by Rome through Emperor Constantine’s decree in A.D. 321, making Sunday the civil day of rest, later confirmed by the Roman Church.
4. The loss of prophecy: When Sabbath truth was replaced and the rapture theory accepted, churches abandoned the prophetic framework. The historicist interpretation—used by the Reformers—was replaced by futurism, which postpones prophecy and neutralizes watchfulness. Prophecy contains no secret escape. Christ returns once, visibly and triumphantly. The dead sleep until the trumpet sounds. The living faithful are transformed, the wicked face judgment. The change of Sabbath and the invention of a secret rapture symbolize spiritual drift—tradition over revelation.
True believers do not expect a covert rescue but the majestic revelation of the King, who will open the graves, vindicate His law, and restore His kingdom before every eye.
