In our first post, we showed that historic premillenialism among some of the early church fathers shares nothing in common with modern dispensational premillenialism. Historic or Covenant premillenialism is actually closer to amillenialism (if not the same, just misconstrued). With the same error of eisegesis that we discussed in Part 1, the early church fathers are claimed by some to be early proponents of the “left behind” variety of the rapture. Yet, from their words below, we will see that the early church fathers idea of the rapture was nothing like the left behind version found in dipensational premillenialism.

Part 2 – The Rapture in the Writings of the Early Church Fathers:

In comparing the rapture that we find among modern premillenial dispensationalist with that of the early church fathers, we find some very striking differences. In the modern version, the Church will be raptured away, before the tribulation, leaving only jews and non-believers behind on Earth. The Jews, having been regathered to Israel, will reign with Christ for a thousand years once the tribulation is over. This is often called a secret rapture, since it implies two ressurections in conflict with the one ressurection in scripture. One is then called a secret rapture, where deceased believers are “raptured” (left’s face it, it is a ressurection no matter what you want to call it) along with living believers, away from Earth.

In the writings of the early church fathers, we do find a rapture, but not the left behind rapture:

• the dead would be ressurected while simultaniously –
• those alive would be taken up to meet Jesus as He returns and peacefully die so as to be ressurected with those already deceased
• judgement would come just after this takes place
• all of this happens after the tribulation at the quick and sudden second coming of Christ

Hippolytus wrote that believers in Christ would not be raptured away from the tribulation, but would experience it. Jesus would come from heaven and then the last judgement would take place:

These things, then, being to come to pass, beloved, and the one week being divided into two parts, and the abomination of desolation being manifested then, and the two prophets and forerunners of the Lord having finished their course, and the whole world finally approaching the consummation, what remains but the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from heaven, for whom we have looked in hope? who shall bring the conflagration and just judgment upon all who have refused to believe on Him. – Hippolytus of Rome, Treatise on Christ and the Anti-Christ

Irenaus wrote that there would be a form of the rapture, however the Church will go through the tribulation and then be “caught up” from it and crowned with incorruption:

And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.” For this is the last contest of the righteous,in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption. – Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V

Justin Martyr is cited by some as an early proponent of the left behind rapture doctrine, along with dispensational pre-millenialism. However, we see in his writings that although he did possibly believe in a literal 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth, the Church would go through the tribulation. Also, the unbelieving Jews would not be brought to Israel to worship Christ during His reign while the Church is raptured away. The quote below shows that Martyr believed that Jesus would raise the dead at His second coming, judge the Earth and then reign. This shows that the so called historical pre-millenialism of Justin Martyr, not only did not include a rapture like left behind, but also could technically be labeled amillenial:

For the prophets have proclaimed two advents of His: the one, that which is already past, when He came as a dishonoured and suffering Man; but the second, when, according to prophecy, He shall come from heaven with glory, accompanied by His angelic host, when also He shall raise the bodies of all men who have lived, and shall clothe those of the worthy with immortality, and shall send those of the wicked, endued with eternal sensibility, into everlasting fire with the wicked devils. And that these things also have been foretold as yet to be, we will prove. – Justin Martyr, First Apology

In the Didache, we also do not find any traces of pre-millenial dispensationalism or a pre-trib, left behind version of a rapture of the Church:

For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increases, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but those who endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth: first, the sign of an outspreading in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet. And third, the resurrection of the dead — yet not of all, but as it is said: “The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him.” Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven. – The Didache

In the writings of Augustine (wrongly claimed by some to be the original source of amillenialism) we read that there will be a rapture where the Church will be caught up to meet Jesus as He returns, to peacefully die, be judged, and recieve eternal life:

We shall all rise, or all sleep, for not even the saints shall be quickened to immortality unless they first die, however briefly; and consequently they shall not be exempt from resurrection which is preceded by sleep, however brief. And why should it seem to us incredible that the multitude of bodies should be, as it were, sown in the air, and should in the air immediately revive immortal and incorruptible, when we believe, on the testimony of the same apostle, that the resurrection shall take place in the twinkling of an eye, and that the dust of bodies long dead shall return with incomprehensible facility and swiftness to those members that are now to live endlessly? – Augustine, City of God

But the apostle has said nothing here regarding the resurrection of the dead; but in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians he says, We would not have you to be ignorant brethren, concerning them which are asleep, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 etc. These words of the apostle most distinctly proclaim the future resurrection of the dead, when the Lord Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead. – IBID

Note the quote below by John Chrysostom is the same explanation of 1 Thessalonians held by Scholars such as N.T Wright who states that what Paul meant was that we will be “caught up” to meet Christ as He returns to Earth and will come back down with Him. Basically this is what all the quotes previously posted here state as well. Thus, this verse does not support a rapture according to modern ideas:

If He is about to descend, on what account shall we be caught up? For the sake of honor. For when a king drives into a city, those who are in honor go out to meet him; but the condemned await the judge within. […] Seest thou how great is the honor? and as He descends, we go forth to meet Him, and, what is more blessed than all, so we shall be with Him. (Homily on 1 Thessalonians, VIII). – John Chrysostom

Conclusion

A close reading of the ECF’s writings show that they would have been completely unfamiliar with the version of the rapture that is popular among modern proponents of pre-millenial dispensationalism that is promoted in movies like Left Behind.