Partial Rapture

Definition

Christians who uphold the partial rapture view believe that only saints who are worthy will be raptured before the wrath of God is poured out; those who have not been faithful will remain on the earth to endure the Tribulation. Like pretribulationists, they teach that one will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation to take away the spiritually mature saints. Then at various times during the seven years of the Tribulation other raptures will occur to remove saints who were unprepared at the beginning of the Tribulation but who have shown themselves worthy in the meantime. There is even to be a rapture at the close of the Millenium.

Biblical Supports

The last group of dispensational premillennialists is called themselves as the Partial Rapture advocates. This view covers all the previous four views of rapture. The main emphasis of this belief is that they believe that only those are watching and waiting for the Lord’s return are worthy to escape the terrors of the Great Tribulation judgments (Matthew 24:41-42; Luke 21:36). As Luke 21:36 says, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” To them this statement is the standard for rapture. The various period of rapture is needed for the church because various degree of people who are watching and waiting for the Lord’s return. In other words those who are worthy Christians will be raptured first just as those who hold to the Pretribulation Rapture view. And those who are not worthy, they will be tested and go through much tribulation, but they will be raptured when they are worthy before the Lord. To them, the rapture will take place at various times even at the end of the millennium kingdom. However the above passages seem to be misapplied. The reason is because these passages are not applied to the church, the Bride of Christ but to the nation of Israel which will be in the Great Tribulation period.

The next argument of this view is that they believe that Christ will return only for “them that look for him” (Hebrews 9:28). However, a careful study of the Scripture shows that this phrase is simply a synonym for the church (Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:13). The church is supposed to be watchful and waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not referring to a group of people who live during the Great Tribulation. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded that the Christians or the Church must watch for His coming.

Finally, it is argued that 1 Corinthians 15:23 states that believers will be resurrected “every man in his own order.” As 1 Corinthians 15:23 says, “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.” To them this verse teaches that not all Christians will be raptured simultaneously because each one has his own order. However this conclusion seems to misinterpret the context of the verse. The main subject in view here is not the Rapture but the entire resurrection program of God in which different persons will be raised at different times, such as the resurrection of the church saints at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:6), Tribulation saints after the Tribulation (Revelation 20:4), etc. Besides, at the Rapture the bodies of all believers will be changed in an instant (1 Corinthians 15:51) – not just the bodies of those who are presently in fellowship with the Lord.

CONCLUSION

The doctrine of the rapture is one of the characteristics of dispensational premillenium eschatology. This is one of the distinctions of premillenium view in comparison to amillennium or postmillenium view. Despite of the unity of dispensational premillennium in theology yet they are different in their understanding of the time of the rapture. The divergence has caused them to be divided into five groups. The first group called them as the pretriublation rapture advocate, the second as midtribulation rapture, the third as posttriublation rapture, the fourth as pre-wrath rapture and lastly as the partial rapture advocates.

The difference among these premillennium advocates is their interpretation on the passage pertaining to the rapture. It is clear that its differentiation is due to the hermeneutics matter. However according to the plain understanding of the passage, the rapture or the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent. No one knows the time of His coming. The church is commanded to be ready and watchful and waiting for that day. Thus it is the responsibility of the church, the Christians to be ready at any time without observing any sign of His coming.

The church as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ will not taste the hour of temptation (Revelation 3:10) but rather the church will be kept form that temptation, the wrath of God during the Great Tribulation. It is only with this understanding in view that we can have hope and joy for the coming of the Lord Jesus.