Is the rapture real?
If so, what is it?
When will it happen?
How will it affect me?
If you have been around Christian circles very much or read any books on prophecy and the end times, you will have heard something about the rapture. If anything can get Christians excited, it is the idea of the Lord Jesus coming back to the skies of this world any time now to call all of God’s born-again children up and out of this world to meet the Lord Jesus in the air...for a 7 year marriage celebration and feast in heaven.
The rapture is the exact moment in history when the Lord Jesus comes back down from heaven to what we call the sky. He then calls all of the Christians who have died (since the death and resurrection of Christ) to come up and meet Him in the air (the sky).
If the rapture happened right now, as you are reading this, Christians who died before us, will be raised up from the dead first (resurrected) to meet Jesus in the sky.
On the way up, their bodies will be transformed into their eternal-glorified bodies, just like Jesus’ body.
As soon as all of those resurrected believers are with Christ, He calls all of the Christians alive on the earth to join Him in the air (the sky). Therefore, the rapture is the specific day in history when God removes His people from the earth physically, and reunites all of us with our Lord Jesus Christ.
It will only take seconds for both groups to be caught up to Christ in the air. One of the main bible verses explaining this event is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, where the Apostle Paul describes how Jesus will come down from heaven at the moment of the rapture for His people.
But we do not want you to be uninformed (ignorant), brethren, about those who are asleep (died in the Lord already), so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord (for us at the rapture), will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
On the way up (caught up or raptured), our bodies will be transformed into their eternal – glorified bodies, just like Jesus’ body.
1 John 3:2: Dear friends, we are the children of God right now. What we will be like has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears (for us), we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Can you imagine the world on that day (right after the rapture) without a single Christian in it? From the day of the rapture through the end of the 7 year tribulation period, the Holy Spirit will no longer be restraining evil on earth. All remnants of righteousness will be gone.
- The unbelievers who are left on the earth will look around in total shock, wandering what just happened.
- Some who were familiar with prophecy, may logically conclude that the rapture did just happen and will mourn, but it will be too late for them to be included in the rapture. They can be saved during the tribulation period, but will be persecuted and probably put to death by the anti-Christ (Revelation 6:9-10, Revelation 16:5-6).
- There will be 144,000 Jewish evangelists preaching during the tribulation period around the world. Many people will get saved through their message, but will suffer for it.
- As long as they are alive during this 7 year period, they will have to watch and endure the judgements and wrath of God being poured out on the entire world. These judgements are called the 7 bowl judgements and 7 plagues in Revelation 15 & 16.
- Some people left behind may actually may be excited and talk about how the world is finally rid of those pesty, irritating Christians (for a little while anyway).
The 7 year feast or celebration we will be a part of what is called the “MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB”. The apostle John saw the details of this feast in his vision in Revelation 19:7-10.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself. It was given to her to clothe herself in bright and clean fine linen, which is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me – write this: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb”. And he said to me, “These are the true words of God”.
Note: For informational purposes, let me identify the parties mentioned in these verses.
- The Lamb is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was slain on the cross as the perfect/sinless Lamb of God - punished for our sinfulness.
- The Bride (Wife) is the universal church of Jesus Christ, known as the Body of Christ, made up of all believers from the day Christ died on the cross until this moment of the rapture.
- God the Father is the one providing this wedding feast for His Son.
This marriage supper is illustrated through the formal wedding customs practiced during the time of Christ.
- A marriage covenant was signed by the parents of the bride and the groom.
- The father (or parents) of the groom would pay a dowry to the bride or her parents.
- This began the formal and legally binding betrothal period (more than just a modern day engagement) as seen with Joseph and Mary in Matthew 18:18 and Luke 2:5.
- When the wedding time arrived, the groom and his close friends (groomsmen) would go to the bride’s house (many times at night) with a torchlight parade through the streets.
- The bride would be expecting this and would be ready with her bridesmaids. They would all join the parade and end up at the groom’s home, as seen in the Parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.
- Then the marriage supper (feast) would begin and might go on for days, like the wedding explained in the town of Cana in John 2:1-12, where Jesus did His first public miracle. He turned water into wine for the host.
John’s vision in Revelation 19:7-10 reveals God the Father’s actual wedding feast of the Lamb ~ For His Son ~ with His bride ~ the Church. Remember, the dowry paid by the groom’s father (God the Father) was the blood that Jesus allowed to be shed on the cross for His bride...the Church. The dowry payment started the official betrothal period.
Since the death and resurrection of Christ, the church (the bride) has been watching and waiting for the groom (the Lord Jesus) to come back to escort her to the wedding ceremony and wedding feast/celebration. Christ’s appearance in the skies to take His bride back to His Father’s house in Heaven is the rapture.
The marriage supper of the Lamb will take place in heaven (in the Father’s House) between the rapture and the second coming, while the GREAT TRIBULATION PERIOD is happening on the earth.
The SECOND COMING OF CHRIST (Parousia > Greek for literally ‘being present’) happens when He comes back to the earth (with His bride – the church), at the end of the 7 year celebration in the Father’s House, to take literal and physical control of the world and everything in it.
This will begin the 1,000 year millennial kingdom of Christ on earth, as Jesus the promised Messiah, finally sits in person on the throne of David. He will rule the world personally from the nation of Israel.`
The Greek word “Parousia” is a Greek transliteration of two Aramaic words: maran, meaning “lord”, and atha, meaning “has come” from 1 Corinthians 16:22.
Jesus Christ will reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Jerusalem (Isaiah 9:3-7 & Isaiah 11:1-10) sitting on the throne of David (Luke 1:32-33). Once again, the earth will be a place of perfect peace and safety, as it was in the original Garden of Eden...as explained in Micah 4:2-4, Isaiah 32:17-18, and Isaiah 61:7-10. Isaiah 40:1-2 shows the City of Jerusalem will be the authoritative center of the whole world...religiously, politically, economically, and socially.
Zechariah 8:3: The Lord says this: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’
But right now, we are waiting for the RAPTURE. Even though the specific English word “rapture” is not used in the Bible, the concept is clearly identified and defined as the point in time when Christians will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
The rapture must come before the 7 year GREAT TRIBULATION PERIOD and before the SECOND COMING and before the 1,000 year REIGN OF CHRIST on earth.
Sequence Of Events On Earth
The Rapture
The 7 Year Tribulation Period On Earth
{while the 7 year marriage feast is going on in heaven}
The Second Coming Of Christ
The 1,000 Year Reign Of Christ On Earth
The Great White Throne Judgement
The Creation Of The New Heaven And New Earth
...Our Eternity with Christ in the New Jerusalem...
You may be thinking to yourself, will this really happen or is it too good to be true? Or is it just the creative imagination of some Christian who could not get to sleep one night? I want to assure you, that these events are as real and as sure as anything that has ever happened in history. This is why so many other Scriptures assure us of these truths.
John 14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back (at the rapture) and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Mark 13:32: But about that day or hour (of the rapture) no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Luke 17:34-35: I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed. One will be taken (in the rapture) and the other left (to go through the 7 year tribulation period). Two women will be grinding grain together and one will be taken (in the rapture) and the other left (to go through the 7 year tribulation period).
1 Corinthians 15:50-53: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither can corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery (mystery of the rapture). We shall not all sleep (die physically), but we shall all be changed...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (as we are given our new resurrected bodies like Christ has on the way up to meet Him in the sky – the air). For our corruptible bodies must put on incorruption, and our mortal bodies must put on immortality.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6: Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!”...then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
1 Thessalonians 1:10: For they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath (the wrath during the tribulation period).
Philippians 3:20-21: But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await our Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.
Daniel 2:44-45: In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
Daniel 7:9-10: As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days (the Father) took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow. The hair of His head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him. Thousands upon thousands attended Him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated and the books were opened. Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man (Jesus), coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days (the Father) and was led into His presence. He (Jesus) was given authority, glory, and sovereign power. All nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
We are quickly approaching the time of His judgements. He has delayed His judgments for a long time, but those years of patience are running out. He is ready to give His Son that promised kingdom, as mentioned in the verses above.
Do you want to be a part of that kingdom or keep to yourself in your own little kingdom? If you want to be a part of His kingdom, you must recognize and embrace Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior. You must asked Him to save you and make you a part of His kingdom (God’s family).
Therefore, the question comes down to this. Do you want to be saved before the rapture or do you want to put it off, until you find yourself living in the 7 year great tribulation period, under the control of the anti-Christ?
If you put it off, you don’t really know if you will even have the desire to be saved during the tribulation period. Your mind and your heart maybe so hardened then, that you end up supporting the anti-Christ and become one of God’s enemies.
If that possibility grieves you and even scares the literally hell out of you, then don’t take the chance. Prepare yourself right now to be a part of the rapture and escape the coming wrath of God.
There is only one way or one thing you can do to prepare yourself. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you today...right now! Ask Jesus to make you one of God’s eternal children, who will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and join Him at His wedding feast.
Don’t be one of those standing there left behind wondering where everybody went. Be one of those enjoying the free supernatural flight (all expenses paid for by the “Blood of Christ”) to the wedding feast of the ages.
Lord Jesus - save me now!
Romans 10:23: For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved!
Thank you again for your precious time! Next week we will look at the 7 year tribulation period.
Yours in Christ,
Gene
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