The “mystery” of the rapture and the teachings of Christ

One of the arguments against Jesus speaking of the rapture is that Paul spoke of the rapture as a mystery, and therefore, Jesus could not have been talking about the rapture, because a mystery is understood as something previously unrevealed or unknown.

This is typically a pretrib argument, but there are pretrib rapturists who believe Jesus did talk about the rapture, such as in the Olivet discourse concerning “one will be taken and the other left,” Matthew 24.40-41.  Dr. John Hart, who is pretrib, wrote a 3-part article in the Grace Evangelical Society Journal seeking to demonstrate that Jesus spoke concerning the rapture in the words “one will be taken.”  Also, Dave Hunt (Pretrib) in his rapture debate with Marv Rosenthal (Prewrath) seems to have taken that view.  Hunt’s explanation on how Jesus could speak in such contradictory terms about His coming being both unexpected and yet known to be near by the signs was that Jesus spoke of both the rapture and the second coming just like the Old Testament prophecies spoke of both Jesus’ first coming and second coming together, though obviously separated by a significant period of time.

It seems pretty common among all views on the rapture that Jesus did speak of the rapture in John 14.3: “I will come again and receive you to myself.”  Those who believe Jesus spoke of the rapture in his words “one will be taken” make the point that the word “receive” in John 14.3 is the same Greek word as “taken” in Matthew 24.40-41, being “paralambano.”  It does seem doubtful that the disciples had any idea what Jesus was talking about.  But then, the disciples didn’t seem to understand what Jesus talked about with reference to his death. 

There are Prewrath and Posttrib rapturists who believe that the writings of Paul, particularly in the Thessalonian letters, about the coming of Christ and the events preceding and connected with it, were from the teachings of Christ.  When Paul said “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord” in 1 Thessalonians 4.15 concerning the coming of Christ and the rapture and resurrection, he was referencing the teachings of Christ that were already delivered to his disciples.  The parallels between Jesus and Paul are just too striking to be denied.   And this is probably why some Pretribbers seek to explain how Jesus taught on the rapture.

But what about Paul calling the rapture a “mystery?” Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15.51-52: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed…”  Does this mean Jesus did not teach on it?  Aren’t “mysteries” New Testament teachings not revealed in the Old Testament? There is a debate over the exact meaning or extent of what the mysteries are.  Those who call themselves “progressive dispensationalists” don’t define “mystery” to the same extent as classical dispensationalists. Probably posttribbers and prewrathers are becoming more “progressive” in their dispensationalism.  I have read the progressive view, and I am definitely familiar with classical dispensationalism.  I’m probably somewhere in-between both views. 

I define the dispensations differently than the classical view.  Even though the teachings of Jesus could be considered Old Testament teaching, it doesn’t mean he didn’t teach things that pertain to the age of the Church including the rapture.  Though the “church” was a mystery, a truth hidden that God only knew and planned, it doesn’t mean Jesus didn’t know about it.  And it seems to me that the early church didn’t know or discern what was going on and how the teachings of Christ applied to them until many years later.  God had chosen not to restore Israel as a people with the few thousands that believed after Pentecost, but he chose to take believing Jews and join them with believing gentiles to make a new people for his purpose for a period of time.   God could have done things differently, but he didn’t.  Romans chapters 9 through 11 explains this.   What God is doing in this age is connected with the mystery Paul taught, but not only Paul, but Jesus, who taught on the “mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven/ God.”

Jesus taught on the “mysteries” of the kingdom and he also gave us things like water baptism and the “Lord’s supper.”   These things relate to this age and the church.  Jesus spoke of the mysteries in the parables, Matthew 13.11.  The parables tell us of the character of this age, how the word of God will be received, and how there will be believers and non-believers together that are hard to distinguish but will be separated at the end of the age.  This describes the age that we live in.   The kingdom of heaven and God is the authority of God which is represented now in believers, but this authority can be resisted in this age, and that may be the “mystery” form of it—because in the age to come, that authority can not be resisted, successfully.  

The Mysteries involve these things related to this present age, the church and its associated things.  Jesus spoke about these mysteries, even though they were probably mostly not understood.  I believe the rapture was one of those mysteries. It wasn’t for years after Pentecost that believers began to discern what God was up to.  New Jewish believers didn’t know what was going on—pertaining to the nation of Israel or the joining of believing gentiles with believing Jews to form a people of God.    

As far as believing Jews knew, Ezekiel chapters 40-48 could have been soon fulfilled, concerning the restoration of the nation in the land.  Many of them were zealous for the law, which would be expected from a new believer who usually wants to live pleasing to God.  They didn’t know that all this was going to change, but Jesus did tell the woman at the well (John 4) that changes were coming, and Ezekiel chapters 40-48 were not that change.

So Jesus did teach on the Mysteries of the kingdom, mysteries that include the present age, the church and associated things.  To argue that Jesus did not teach on the rapture because it was a mystery seems to ignore that Jesus taught on mysteries.  And even some pretribs recognize that Jesus taught on the rapture.  And the parallels between Paul and Jesus on prophecy are just too striking to deny.