The term "rapture" isn't found in the Bible. The name is derived from a Latin word that means "carrying away, transporting, or snatching away." The rapture of the church, also known as "carrying off," is plainly taught in Scripture.
The rapture of the church is when God "snatches" all Christians from the planet in order for His just judgement to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54, the rapture is primarily described. All Christians who have died will be resurrected, given glorified bodies, and taken from the earth by God, along with all live believers who will be granted glorified bodies at the same time. "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, the archangel's voice, and God's trumpet summons, and the dead in Christ will rise first." Then we who are still living and remain will be taken up in the clouds with them to meet the Lord in the air. As a result, we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
Our bodies will be instantly transformed to fit us for eternity during the rapture. "We know that when he [Christ] comes, we will be like him because we will see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). The rapture should not be confused with the second coming. The Lord appears "in the clouds" to meet us "in the air" at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The Lord descends all the way to the earth in the second coming to stand on the Mount of Olives, causing a great earthquake and the defeat of God's adversaries (Zechariah 14:3–4).
The rapture was not taught in the Old Testament, which is why Paul refers to it as a "mystery" that has now been revealed: "Listen, I'll tell you a secret: We won't all sleep, but we'll all be changed—in a flash, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet." Because the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be transformed" (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
The church's rapture is a magnificent event that we should all be looking forward to. Finally, we will be free of sin. We will spend eternity in God's presence. The meaning and extent of the rapture are subject to much too much discussion. God did not intend for this to happen. The rapture, on the other hand, should be a reassuring and hopeful teaching; God wants us to "encourage each other with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Comments