It is not primarily the doctrine of itself that I take issue with, but attitudes that are common (but not always present) where the doctrine of escape rapture is taught.  The point must also be made that many genuine Christians hold to the teaching that is being disputed here.  This should not be a cause of division, but for healthy examination of scriptures. 
      We can see from the parable of stewardship (Luke 19:11-27) that God considers it wicked to just "sit" on that which He has given us without attempting to increase it.  People do this for many reasons, but in general, as this parable teaches, they do it because of a misunderstanding of the nature of the return of Jesus.  The wicked servant thought the nobleman’s return would nullify everything done before.  His reasoning may have gone something like this: "Why work for increase?  The Nobleman reaps where he has not sown, so why should I work for something that has no practical application to me?"  The wicked servant was wrong.  The nobleman had no intention of nullifying the work of his servants, but rewarding them with authority where they were!  The wicked servant was judged according to his own attitude.  He did not see his work in the present to be related to the period after his master’s return.  The wicked servant was irresponsible because he had no sense of destiny and purpose; he was lazy and irresponsible.
      The escape rapture view causes many to reason in much the same way as the wicked.  They believe that the church can have little effect on the condition of things in this hopeless world because things are supposed to get worse and worse.  This doctrine also teaches that before things get too bad, the church is to be removed from the earth in an event called the "rapture" to escape a terrible tribulation three and one half years before Christ actually returns to earth.  In other words, "What we do here will be null and void when Jesus returns, because we are out of here!"  If we think this world is destined to just get worse and the rapture is a "great escape," we are likely to reason in a similar way!  With such an attitude many have become lazy and irresponsible concerning spiritual things. 
      Not all believers who hold to the escape rapture view reason this way.  Many are very responsible and work hard for the Kingdom of God; I commend them.  Unfortunately, many do.  One Sunday morning after teaching on the biblical view of rapture, one misled mother came to me and said, "Gosh, if that is the case, maybe I should take my son out of public school [to put him in a Christian one]."  This is a perfect example of the irresponsible thinking that is produced by an erroneous view of the future.  This woman saw no personal responsibility for herself or for her son concerning the coming of the Kingdom of God, but was simply focused unrealistically on "the great escape."  But when she began to consider that we might not be leaving and that there was a lot of work to do before Jesus would return, she  immediately started to feel some responsibility.
     Though the transformation from mortals to immortals at Christ's coming can accurately be termed "the  rapture," the Bible does not teach that the Church is to leave the planet in a "first stage" of Christ's second coming.  Nothing in scripture teaches this.  Jesus did not teach that we would be removed from the earth.  On the contrary, He taught that the wicked shall be removed from the earth in judgment and that His people would then rule and reign on this planet with Him.  As stated in the Psalms, "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; But the earth He has given to the children of" (Ps. 115:16).

As it was in the Days of Noah
     Jesus said His coming would be as it was in the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37).  When we read this passage, we see that it was the wicked who were removed from the earth, not Noah and his family.  Noah and his righteous family stayed on the earth during the flood (though protected by in the ark) while the "flood came, and took them (the wicked) all away" (Matt. 24:39).  It will be a time of judgement that comes quickly on the wicked as Christ and His army of saints bring the whole earth under submission to His kingdom (see Rev 19). 
     Noah and his family stayed on the earth and inherited it.  Remember that Jesus also taught "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt 5:5), which is exactly what Noah did.  Because he was a man of faith who believed and acted on the Word of God by building the Ark, he was preserved in the midst of the flood, the wicked were removed, and he, with his family, had the whole earth to himself.  Jesus also prayed for us to the Father saying, "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).

Two in the Field
 Next, Matthew 24, we read, "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left" (Matt. 24:40-41).
     This passage is actually discussing something a bit different. It is not about who is taken (as those who were taken in Noah’s flood) or who remains on the earth. The word “took” in verse 39, referring to the flood that took away the wicked, is the Greek word airo which, in this context simply means to remove or take away. One would therefore assume that the word “taken” used in verses 40 and 41 would be a form of the same word, but it is not. The word “taken” here is the Greek word paralambano.  It means to receive near, to associate ones self with, or to assume an office. This is therefore speaking of the sons of the kingdom who are alive and remain on the earth at that time (working in a field) who will be received by the Lord and receive an office or position of leadership in His kingdom government. This is confirmed by the fact that the twelve disciples had already been told what their office would be, they will be judges judging the twelve tribes of Israel (see Matt 19:28). 

The Parable of the Tares and the Wheat
     In the parable of the tares and the wheat (Matt 13: 24-30,36-43), Jesus told of the wheat being sown and the enemy sowing bad seed, tares, with the wheat.  After the workers noticed the tares and reported it to the master, their instruction was not to uproot them yet, but to let the two grow together until the time of the harvest and then first gather the tares and bind them together in bundles and burn them.
 In Jesus' explanation of this parable to his disciples, he said the burning of the tares represented the end of this age when the angels of God would gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who do iniquity, and then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Proverbs teaches the same thing: "For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;  But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from" (Pr. 2:21-22); and "The righteous will never be removed: but the wicked will not inhabit the earth" (Prov 10:30).  Once again, we have a clear biblical teaching that the wicked are removed from the earth, not the saints.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed
     In the parable of the mustard seed (Matt 13:31-32), Jesus compared the Kingdom to the mustard seed.  The mustard plant starts out small, very small, but it will grow and grow until it is the greatest of all the garden herbs.  This does not present a picture of the Church abandoning a hopeless situation on earth and escaping to heaven.  Here we see the Kingdom of God portrayed as having dominion over all other kingdoms through growth, or increase.  Isaiah also presents this picture of the increasing influence of the Church.  "Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Is. 9:7).  As in the case of the wicked servant in the parable of stewardship, it seems the problem in many cases may be a lack of zeal, i.e. sluggishness.

The Parable of the Dragnet
     In the parable of the dragnet (Matt. 13:47-50), Jesus told of fishermen who cast out a net and brought in a catch.  They began to sort the fish and keep the good and throw out the bad.  Then Jesus said, "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 13:49-50).  Again, by the fact that the angels "come forth,"  we see the judgment of the wicked (the severing of the wicked from among the just) taking place on the earth while the righteous are left.  Isaiah also foretells this event.  "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He shall exterminate its sinners from it" (Is. 13:9 NAS).

The Parable of the Leaven
     The parable of the leaven (Matt.13:33) has already been discussed, but the subject is the Kingdom of God and Jesus describes how the kingdom is like leaven hidden from view yet spreading until the whole was leavened.  The kingdom will spread without the notice of those who do not  have eyes to see and ears to hear.  This parable, like the parable of the mustard seed, clearly speaks of the Kingdom of God growing in the world unnoticed by many.  But when Jesus returns, there will be judgment upon the wicked and, the Kingdom will be evident.

Meeting the Lord in the Air 
     By now you are probably asking, "What about 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17?”  This passage of scripture has been interpreted by many to mean that the Lord will remove the church.  However, as we have seen, there are many scriptures that indicate this cannot be an accurate interpretation.  Any time we read something with a preconceived idea, it is very easy to "read in" something that is not really there.  Actually, this verse does not say that Jesus is coming to take us to heaven, just that we will meet in the air at His return.  Read it carefully.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thes. 4:16-17).

Escapology
 Once while I was doing a computer spell-check, the computer did not have the word "eschatology" in its spell-checker program so it failed to recognize the word.  As is the case with most spell-checkers, the computer stopped and suggested a word with which to replace the word it did not recognize.  In the case of "eschatology" it suggested a word which made me laugh; that word was "escapology".  I thought my computer made a good point.  Many have an eschatology that might more accurately be termed escapology!
      Many people sit in front of their televisions and interpret the increase in crime, wars, abortion, ungodly politics, etc. as a sure sign that the return of Jesus is just around the corner.  When did the evening news take the place of the Bible for understanding the end times?  Why do people do this?  Many are misled because they have little or no faith.  They say there is no hope and look for an easy quick-fix escape to the problems that face the world.  They do not have a foundation of purpose.  Our plans must be based on the Word of God, not worldly circumstances.  We should be those who examine the reasons we are not effectively being salt to the earth, make the needed corrections and begin rebuilding the house of the Lord on the proper foundation.
      After all, the church is the pillar and support of truth (2 Tim. 3:15), not governmental institutions or political leaders.  Our liberty does not lie in external laws, but in internal freedom from the bondage of sin.  The job of the church in any nation is to disciple that nation by increasing the kingdom of God which is internal, not  external. 
     We should certainly have godly laws, and elect godly leaders, but a "Christian dictatorship" is not the Kingdom of God.  True political liberty can only come from increasing the Kingdom of God - an influence that transforms the hearts of men - one at a time.  By increasing in this way, we are preparing the way for the literal Kingdom of God to appear at Christ’s coming, not before. 
      There are many sincere, heaven-bound, God-fearing Christians who hold to the escape rapture view.  Some of these, because of their obedience to the Holy Spirit, have been faithful to win souls and increase the Kingdom, working to "salt" society despite this "escapology" doctrine.  In general, however, I believe this doctrine tends to inhibit the work of preparation that must be completed for kingdom of God to appear and causes God's people to misunderstand their purpose on earth. 
      The doctrine of a removal of the Church in a "first stage" of Christ's second coming was never taught by any of the apostles, church fathers, or reformers.  It only appeared around 1830 and it originated in the midst of other heresy and controversy. It seems to have originated with a woman named Margaret McDonald who claimed to have seen it in a prophetic vision and with the teachings of Edward Irving.  The doctrine was denounced at the time, but was later promoted by John Nelson Darby and became popular after Cyrus Ingersoll Scofield embraced the doctrine and published his views in the in the footnotes of the Scofield Reference Bible.
      It is easy to see how  "escapology" could paralyze the church concerning increase.  Such a view can demoralize us and therefore prevent us from working and building for anything but mystical goals.  It is hard to get excited about building something that is supposed to be torn down or destroyed as soon as it is built.  It has a tendency to produce the attitude of: "why polish brass on a sinking ship," as some have said.