Apologies for wall of text (and weird formatting):
Here a three relevant recent quotes regarding whether
WT believes in a “rapture”:
WT, October 2019, para. 14
During the great tribulation, a change will
take place regarding the brothers who take the lead on earth. At some point, all anointed ones who are
still on earth will be gathered to heaven to share in the war of Armageddon
(Matt. 24:31; Rev. 2:26.27)
WT, July 15, 2015, para. 15
15 Does this mean that
there will be a “rapture” of the anointed ones? Many in Christendom believe,
according to this teaching, that Christians will be bodily caught up from the
earth. Then, they expect that Jesus will visibly return to rule the earth. However,
the Bible clearly shows that “the sign of the Son of man” will appear in
heaven and that Jesus will come “on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt. 24:30) Both of these
expressions imply invisibility. Additionally, “flesh and blood cannot inherit
God’s Kingdom.” So those who will be taken to heaven will first need to be
“changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet.”* (Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-53.) Therefore, while we
do not use the term “rapture” here because of its wrong connotation, the
remaining faithful anointed will be gathered together in an instant of time.
WT, July 15, 2013, para. 8 (endnote #2)
"Hence,
it appears that all anointed ones who still remain on earth after the initial
part of the great tribulation has passed will
at some point be raised to heaven before the outbreak of the battle of
Armageddon.
……………………………….
·
WT does not define "rapture" in the Insight book
(since not the word is not in the Bible), so closest we have is from the
Reasoning Book:
Rapture
Definition: The belief that
faithful Christians will be bodily caught up from the earth, suddenly taken out
of the world, to be united with the Lord “in the air.” The word “rapture” is understood by some
persons, but not by all, to be the meaning of 1 Thessalonians
4:17. The word “rapture” does not occur in the
inspired Scriptures.
- A
simple Google search presents this as the top religious-related
definition: Rapture /ˈraptʃə/ noun (according to some
millenarian teaching) the transporting of believers to heaven at the
Second Coming of Christ.
As usual, the WT plays word
games with this issue.
·
When posing the question as whether JWs believe in a
"rapture", the writers first state their own WT definition of the
word (rather than relying on a dictionary).
Any quick check and it becomes very evident that many churches have very
different particular points regarding what the rapture would entail (e.g. who
gets raptured, in physical vs. spirit form, timing, etc.). Rather than acknowledging this fact and then
focusing on the common elements of “rapture” beliefs and definitions (i.e. a
group of faithful Christians on Earth will be instantly raised up to heaven
before complete destruction of wicked mankind).
Instead WT writers pick and choose very particular (and varying) points what
"many in Christendom believe" regarding the rapture, being sure to
pick a version of the rapture that has very specific elements which do not align
with WT teachings.
·
The WT consistently references:
o
Matthew 24:30 when referring to the remaining (JW) anointed
being brought up to heaven, whereas
o
1 Thess 4:17 when citing Christendom’s scriptural
justification of “rapture”
Although both verses speak to the same event, to the casual
reader it would appear they are different concepts because they are presented
as consistently relying on different scriptural support.
·
Interestingly, as a reminder, even the WT writers acknowledge
this is really just a terminology issue in the end:
- “Therefore, while we do not use the term ‘rapture’
here because of its wrong connotation, the remaining faithful
anointed will be gathered together in an instant of time.”
- Definition of “connotation”: an idea or feeling which a work
invokes for a person in additional to its literal or primary meaning. (So it all boils down to how the WT
writers “feel” about the word “rapture”.)
