The Rapture

* We are presently in the dispensation known as the Church Age, and we do not know when this age will end.

* The Rapture will occur at the end of the Church Age; and the day of the Rapture will be the first day of the sever-year period known as the Great Tribulation.

* The Second Coming of Christ will occur on the last day of the Tribulation period and will usher in the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ.

The statements above are part of a position, or viewpoint, concerning the chronology of the final events of human history, a doctrinal concept known as the Pre-Tribulation Rapture / Pre-Millennium Tribulation view. There are several other schools of though among Christian scholars; and this article does not attempt to sort out the differences in these viewpoints categorically.

The study of the various points of view, and an examination of the proofs that the Pre-Tribulation/Pre-Millennial position is the correct one, is indeed a fascinating study. But the students needs considerable background to handle such research, including a thorough knowledge of general prophecy, a good general orientation to the whole Bible, and a lot of practice in tracing threads of logic through interwoven networks of Bible doctrine. For the time being we will settle for ...

A Description of the Rapture

The Rapture was promised by the Lord Jesus Christ just before His crucifixion, John 14:1-3. At the Rapture, He keeps His promise and fulfills the prophecy. The Rapture completes the Redemption of the body because the believer receives a resurrection body at that time, Phil. 3:20,21; 1 John 3:1,2. It would be useful at this point to read the description of the Rapture in 1 Cor. 15:51-53 and then to note the comments below concerning the terminology used.

mystery -- a doctrine "hidden" from the Old Testament saints. The Rapture is pertinent only to the Church Age and was never revealed to believers living before the beginning of the Church Age.

we shall not all sleep --- i.e., there will be some believers alive at the time of the Rapture.

we shall all be changed - refers to the resurrection body.

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye -- a reference to the time element. The Rapture is not a long, drawn out process of evacuation. We will be with Christ instantly.

the dead shall be raised incorruptible -- the resurrection body does not include the decay and corruption of sin and death.

we shall all be changed -- another reference to the new physical body and new personal attributes associated with the resurrection body.

this corruptible must put on incorruption -the most important feature of the resurrection body is that there will be no Sin Nature.

this mortal must put on immortality -- the believer will not die but will receive an immortal body.

The dead in Christ (believers who have died previous to the Rapture) will be raised first. Then, those who are still alive will be taken up. 1 Thess. 4:16,17.

The Rapture is a rendezvous for living and dead Christians. Confidence in the Rapture is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Thess. 4:18.

In principle, the Lord Jesus Christ is the "first fruits" of the believer, as noted in 1 Cor. 15:20-23. Read this passage first, then note the following comments:

firstfruits -- pictures the resurrection of Christ which is a guarantee of our bodily resurrection.

by man came death -- through Adam came spiritual death with the end result of physical death for every human.

by man came also the resurrection -- by Jesus Christ, in His humanity, came spiritual resurrection (salvation) followed by physical resurrection, Phil. 3:21.

The word "hope", translated from the Greek word elpiV (elpis), meaning "confidence", is a technical designation for the Rapture in at least three Bible passages, including:

* The living hope, 1 Peter 1:3

* The blessed hope, Titus 2:13

* The purifying hope, 1 John 3:3

The Rapture takes the sting out of death, 1 Cor. 15:54-56. Therefore, the Rapture removes the despair of bereavement, 1 Thess. 4:13-18. This confidence in the Rapture comes through the obtaining of wisdom, discernment, and knowledge of the Plan of God, Job 19:25-27. The edified believer has confidence. The result is blessing, peace, a relaxed mental attitude, and stability.

The believer has a "reservation" in heaven, 1 Peter 1:4; Eph. 2:6. The Rapture takes the believer to the "mansion" which Christ has prepared in advance, John 14.

The testing which the believer and the Church endure during the Church Age is terminated with the Rapture. The Body of Christ is no longer a target of Satan in spiritual warfare.

It is not known, and cannot be predicted, when the Rapture will occur. Nevertheless, the Bible directs us to pursue certain activities while waiting for the Rapture. These are given in the last section of this article. Meanwhile, take a look at ...

What to do While Waiting for the Rapture

Stay in Fellowship. "And now, little children, abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." 1 John 2:28

Employ the Faith-Rest techniques. "Now we beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by forged letters as from us, as that day of Christ is at hand." 2 Thess. 2:1,2

Have Confidence. "Being confident of this very things, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6

Have Patience. "Be patient, therefore, unto the coming of the Lord..." James 5:7

Grow in Christ by continuing to be edified. "...be ye also patient, stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:8 See also Isaiah 33:4 and 2 Tim. 2:15

Contrasts Between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ