Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Rapture
Another Look at the
Rapture
by
Roy H. Hicks, D.D.
HARRISON HOUSE
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Unless otherwise indicated,
all Scripture quotations are taken from
the Kin !ames "ersion of the #i$le%
Another &ook At 'he Rapture
IS#N ()*+,-.),./)0
1op2riht 3 0+*, $2 Ro2 H% Hicks, 4%4%
00(( 5lendale #oule6ard
&os Aneles, 1alifornia +((,/
7u$lished $2 Harrison House, Inc%
7% O% #o8 9:(9:
'ulsa, Oklahoma -.09:
7rinted in the United States of America%
All rihts reser6ed under International 1op2riht &aw% 1ontents and;or
co6er ma2 not $e reproduced in whole or in part in an2 form without
the e8press written consent of the 7u$lisher%
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
0 Somethin Has 'o Happen Soon%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%09
, 7aul<s Special Re6elation of the Rapture%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%,0
9 Rapture and Resurrection%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%90
. , 'hessalonians ,%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%9+
: 'he 1hurch =ill Not #e Surprised%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%:9
/ 1onfusion Surroundin >atthew ,.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%/9
- 'he #ook of Re6elation%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%-9
* As 'he &ihtnin %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%*:
+ America In 7rophec2%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%+9
0( #elie6in ?or Our &o6ed Ones%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%0(0
Summary
Foreword
Recentl2 4r% Hicks shared with me his ideas a$out the
Rapture of the 1hurch and his plans to present some new
scriptural insihts a$out a @pre)'ri$ulation Rapture%@
Some of his ideas were completel2 new insihts to me,
which made me wish I had $een the one to see them in
7aul<s teachin% Other ideas he ad6anced, I had read 2ears
ao in a paper written $2 a renowned 5reek scholar, $ut
had not seen in print in recent 2ears%
I $elie6e that 4r% Hicks is renderin a 6er2 6alua$le
ser6ice to the whole #od2 of 1hrist $2 presentin these
insihts so clearl2% Another Look At The Rature should $e
read $2 e6er2 $elie6er who is interested in the @$lessed
hope%@
1onratulations, 4r% Hicks, on this addition to 2our
man2 helpful writinsA
Nathaniel >% "an 1lea6e, 4%4%
'hat !esus< comin is the happ2, imminent hope of the
1hurch has alwa2s $een m2 con6iction and m2 teachin%
4r% Hicks< interestin restatement of this truth is essential
in this hour when flam$o2ant commentar2 is confusin to
man2%
Another Look At The Rature is a clear road sin, sa2in,
@&ook upA He ma2 come toda2A@ #est of all, it i6es
7
Another Look at the Rapture
practical teachin on positi6e preparedness%
!ack Ha2ford
7astor, 1hurch on the =a2
?irst ?oursquare 1hurch, "an Nu2s, 1alifornia
8
Acknowledgments
A special word of appreciation is owed to 4r%
Nathaniel >% "an 1lea6e and 4ick >ills for the resource
material the2 supplied in the preparation of this $ook%
9
Introduction
If this work, Another Look At The Rature, is nothin
more than Bust another $ook on the su$Bect, then $oth
author and reader will $e disappointed% I $elie6e that 2ou,
the reader, will reBoice as 2ou read in these paes some
important new re6elations ne6er $efore pu$lished
concernin the pre)'ri$ulation Rapture of the $orn)aain
saints, $oth dead and ali6e%
I ha6e checked with man2 of m2 peers, and not one of
them has had his attention drawn $efore to the fact that of
the New 'estament writers onl2 the Apostle 7aul was
shown the truth of the Rapture $2 special re6elation from
our &ord !esus 1hrist% 'his special re6elation was i6en to
him at the same time as was the doctrine of sal6ation $2
race apart from the &aw, works, and circumcision%
In m2 tra6els man2 people ha6e e8pressed to me their
disappointment concernin the neati6e presentation
from some well)known 1hristian tele6ision personalities
reardin the imminent return of our &ord for His own%
'he moti6e $ehind this $ook is not to chane the minds of
those who $elie6e that the 1hurch will $e here on earth
when the Antichrist is re6ealed in mid)'ri$ulation, or of
those who $elie6e that the 1hurch will $e here when the
wrath of 5od, or !aco$<s 'rou$le, comes upon the world
Cthe post)'ri$ulationD%
'he purpose of this $ook is two)foldE to reatl2
encourae those of us who $elie6e that $efore the worst
11
Another Look at the Rapture
comes, !esus will take us homeF and to stimulate us to
witness to, and pra2 for, our lo6ed ones and neih$ors%
'he Rapture is not an @escape hatch@ from our
responsi$ilit2, $ut rather an answer to our hearts< cr2,
@&ord !esus, we want to $e with Gou % % % so come
quickl2A@
I realiHe that this small $ook is not an e8hausti6e stud2
of such an important doctrine% Howe6er, I hope that not
onl2 will 2ou $e inspired to $e that dilient saint for
whom 1hrist is comin, $ut that 2ou will continue to
stud2 the =ord on this su$Bect%
12
1
1 Something Has To Happen Soon
1
Something Has To Happen Soon
'here was a period of time in the #i$le that was 6er2
similar to the last half of the twentieth centur2, a time
when unodl2 men pooled their scientific resources and
knowlede% 'he2 dreamed a$out carr2in out their
unlimited imainations and $ean to e8cel in attemptin
and achie6in reat thins%
In 5enesis 00 we read of this time% All the people of
the world at that moment in histor2 spoke the same
lanuae% 'he2 were $rilliant% >an2 historians $elie6e
that the 1haldaic nation of that era had e6en rasped the
principles of aerod2namics and had fashioned the first
airplane% 'here are sufficient findins to pro6e that
difficult $rain surer2 was accomplished durin the
period%
As their crownin achie6ement, the 1haldeans
proposed to $uild a tower whose heiht would reach into
5od<s sacred area% =hate6er the2 intended to do could
ha6e $een done if 5od had not stopped them%
And the Lord said, !ehold, the eole is one, and
they ha"e all one language# and this they begin to do$
and now %&THI%' will be restrained (rom them,
which they ha"e imagined to do.
'enesis ))$*
5od did a wonderful, creati6e work when He a6e
15
Another Look at the Rapture
man the ood mind he possesses% It has $een said that the
most intellient person who has e6er li6ed has used less
than one)tenth of his $rain potential% =hen fallen man
$ean to use his mind, historicall2 it has alwa2s $een used
aainst 5od% So 5od must continue to do what He did in
5enesis 00F that is, stop man from achie6in the
fulfillment of his $ase desires%
=hat a$out toda2I >an is more intellient and
creati6e than at an2 other time in histor2% Knowlede is
dou$lin e6er2 fi6e 2earsF and at the present rate of
increase, in a few more 2ears knowlede will dou$le
e6er2 fi6e months% Alread2 most manufacturers are afraid
to put new products into production $ecause $2 the time
the2 are read2 for the market, the2 could alread2 $e
o$solete%
=hen man can land on the moonF del6e far enouh
into the secrets of the uni6erse to split the atom and in6ent
a h2droen $om$F e8plore the secrets of 4NA and control
creati6e life in determinin se8, heiht, color of e2es and
hair Cand do it all outside the wom$ $efore the seed is
implantedADF there will $e nothin that man cannot do
unless 5od stops him%
Recentl2 m2 wife and I were listenin to three
scientists who were discussin the imminent possi$ilit2 of
$ein a$le to cause a man to row a new hand if he lost
one% 'he2 also made the statement that if a person can li6e
another fi6e to eiht 2ears, he stands a ood chance of
li6in for si8 to eiht hundred 2ears% #ionic lim$s are
alread2 in useF so is a mechanical heart% One scientist has
predicted that soon man will $e so health2 and free from
16
Something Has To Happen Soon
disease that accidents will $e the chief cause of death%
Get another scientist has stated, @1ontrol of human
ain is somethin that is oin to happen%@ Scientists
plan to step up the process of oran transplant and will
e6en $e usin more animal parts% Gou no dou$t ha6e read
that an artificial pancreas is on the drawin $oard% 'here
is a new heated sureon<s knife that seals off $lood 6essels
as it cuts into delicate $od2 tissue% In the latter part of 0+*0
there came a $reakthrouh makin economicall2 feasi$le
the cure)all wonder dru, Interferon, which appears to $e
effecti6e aainst cancer%
One scientist has said that $2 the earl2 part of the
twent2)first centur2 man ma2 $ecome $ioloicall2
immortal% He will pro$a$l2 $ecome more careful a$out
enain in contact sports, hih)speed racin, and other
hih)risk acti6ities $ecause of the daner of $ein killed
accidentall2% 'his has prompted one scholar to comment,
@One of the first thins that will come tum$lin down is
reliion, $ecause man will not ha6e the fear of d2in he
now has%@
Gou can easil2 see with me that 5enesis 00 is $ein
duplicated, and 5od will ha6e to step in, as He did then%
'his time, howe6er, it will not $e a temporar2
inter6ention, $ut an e6erlastin one% Not Bust $ecause of
surin human $rilliance will 5od ha6e to take action, $ut
also $ecause of the Budment He has promised%
5od Buded Sodom, 5omorrah, and Nine6ah% He will
alwa2s Bude sin% E6er2 nation that has turned its $ack on
5od has $een harshl2 Buded% =hat a$out AmericaI #ill2
5raham once said, @If 5od failed to Bude America, He
17
Another Look at the Rapture
would ha6e to apoloiHe to Sodom and 5omorrah%@ 5od
teaches in EHekiel that when the land sins aainst Him $2
trespassin rie6ousl2, He will Bude it% E6en if rihteous
people like Noah, 4aniel, and !o$ were li6in in the land,
He could not spare itF the2 should deli6er $ut their own
souls $2 their rihteousness CEHek% 0.E0.D%
4ear 1hristian, America has now Boined the rest of the
world in its headlon plune into the stream of despica$le
filth and sin% 'he thins $ein done in the kindom of
darkness are unspeaka$le, and the =ord of 5od for$ids
us to talk a$out them%
Homes and marriaes are no loner considered
sacred% =omen take to the streets to strike for equalit2
with men, e6en if it means oin to war and fihtin to
show their equalit2% 1hildren, alon with adults, are $ein
e8ploited in pornoraph2% Restricted and J)rated mo6ies
are filled with se8, 6iolence, and profanit2Ke6en usin
5od<s name as a 6ile e8pleti6e% Soon, a 1hristian will not
$e a$le to rela8 and turn on his fa6orite '" proram
$ecause of the moral disinteration displa2ed%
'he 1hurch, howe6er reliious, will $e deli6ered from
5od<s sure and impendin Budment% 'his deli6erance
will come in the form of the RaptureF the &ord will take
His people home%
A reat twentieth)centur2 prophet, speakin under
hea62 anointin, prophesied, @=hen the 1hurch Ae is
o6er, Budment will fallF $ut Budment will not fall on the
1hurch $ut on the world% 'he onl2 Budment the 1hurch
will face is the !udment Seat of 1hrist%@
No, dear saint, 2ou do not ha6e to et read2 for the
18
Something Has To Happen Soon
wrath of 5od to $e poured out on the earth% Gou do not
need to store up deh2drated food and @head for the hills%@
!ust et read2 for the Rapture% It must happen soon% 4o
not look for it as an @escape hatch@ from the world and
responsi$ilit2, $ut it is encourain to know that we will
not come under 5od<s harsh Budment on sin and the
hapless sinner% Not that e6ents force 5od to act more
quickl2 than He had oriinall2 plannedF He, $ein aware
of this da2, e6en as He was aware of Noah<s da2, is
prepared to do a reat work in the 1hurch, sa6in our
lo6ed ones as we $elie6e, e6en as He sa6ed Noah and his
famil2% =e are to witness as ne6er $efore, li6e odl2 li6es,
and $e much in pra2er $efore Him%
19