The Rapture

Jesus promised to take all believers out of this world before He sends great tribulation upon it to deal with the sin and rebellion of mankind. The means by which this will be done is commonly known as the Rapture. The Rapture simply speaks of the resurrection of believers, both dead and alive. It is that which the Apostle Paul explained to the Church in Thessalonia when he wrote that the "Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The word "Rapture" may not be in the Bible, but the concept certainly is. In Paul's prophecy and description of this event, he uses the phrase "caught up". This phrase is translated from the Greek word "harpazo", which means "to snatch out and away" and "to claim for one's self eagerly." It also means "to carry off by force" and "to rescue from the danger of destruction." Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ will eagerly remove all believers from this world at one event in the future in order to rescue them from the destructive judgment He will pour out during the Great Tribulation period.

The bodies of the dead saints will be resurrected and glorified to meet their souls and spirits in the air. Their souls and spirits were in Heaven with the Lord since their physical death, as the Apostle states in II Corinthians 5:8 when he wrote that "to be absent from the body" is "to be present with the Lord." Those believers who are alive and remain shall be caught up with the dead in Christ shortly thereafter. And then, all the saints of God will leave this world to go with the Lord Jesus Christ to Heaven for a period of time until God pours out judgment on this world and redeems a repentant Israel.

These resurrected saints will return with Jesus Christ to save Israel from the Antichrist and his armies in the Battle of Armageddon at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation Period. The Apostle John describes the Second Coming of Christ with His saints in Revelation 19:11 and 14 when he wrote, "And I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He Who sat upon him was called Faithful and True; and in Righteousness He does judge and make war...And the armies which were in Heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."

The Apostle Peter said that "there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep [died], all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation." (II Peter 3:3-4). If any person does not believe that the Rapture will occur, then they do not believe the Word of God. This event will truly happen, but only those who know and serve the Lord will escape the Great Tribulation.

Get ready today. Accept that you are a sinner, "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). Then accept God's gracious offer of salvation by believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin. Then give your life to the Lord, seeking Him in His Word and in prayer. Find others who know and serve Him, and then serve the Lord together with those very ones who will meet you in the air when the Lord returns to resurrect His people.