The scriptures point to the Rapture, the sudden catching away of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to heaven, as the first event of the end times. When considering the population of the whole earth, the disappearance of millions may for many people seem unnoticeable. For the unbelieving at large that do notice, it isn’t a stretch to think that most will attribute the Rapture to some phenomenon completely opposite from God’s prophecy. They may even suspect aliens to be involved. A small few will believe it’s an act of God and may become saved after the Rapture. However, the majority of those left behind will think of hundreds of reasons other than the truth that Spirit-filled children of God, both alive and in the grave, have finally gone home.
What is the Rapture?
In a general sense, rapture is to be taken away or overwhelmed with intense delight, pleasure or joy. The Rapture we learn about in the Bible is an event that every born-again believer is waiting for with tremendous anticipation. It is when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will gather us together in the air with him, and we will leave the earth and he will take us to our Heavenly Father’s home in heaven. The Lord gives us His prophecy of the Rapture through the Apostle Paul in 1Corinthians 15:51-53(NLT). This passage tells us, “51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.”
The New Body
It is inevitable that many of us will be alive during the Rapture, and we will be transformed from this corrupting body into a new body that is incorruptible. The new body that we will receive during the Rapture is often referred to as the ‘Resurrected Body’ because it the same body that Jesus Christ had after the Holy Spirit resurrected him from the dead. We know from the scriptures that we will be recognizable in our new bodies according to our old earth suit and identity. We know this because after his resurrection, there were aspects of the new resurrected body of Jesus Christ that made him recognizable to those who loved and walked with him. He still had the wounds of the crucifixion in his hands.
Thomas, the disciple that many have coined ‘Doubting Thomas’, had trouble believing that Jesus Christ had been resurrected. John 20:24-28(NLT) gives us his record: “24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he replied, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side." 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. "Peace be with you," he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" 28 "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed.”
The Rapture is possible for us because of what God accomplished through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death will never touch our new ‘resurrected bodies’, and we will be able to do things beyond our greatest imaginations.
The dead in Christ will rise first
1Thessalonians 4:13-18(NLT) says, “13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. 15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.”
The Lord himself will come down from heaven. He will not be sending angels, Moses, or any of the prophets. He will come down from heaven himself and in the clouds with a commanding shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet call of God, he will gather all believers to himself. Not everyone will hear these sounds. They will be audible to only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Believers will hear this call to gather and meet him in the air. Jesus Christ will not come down to set his feet on the ground. He will remain in the sky, hidden to the unbelieving on earth, and we will rise in our new bodies to meet him.
Those of us that are living will not rise before the bodies of those that died in Christ. The King James Version of 1Thessalonians 4:15 refers to believers that have died in Christ as “those who are sleep”. The spirits of those believers that have died will have been perfected and Christ will bring them with him. They will be rejoined to their bodies which will rise from the ground and be transformed just as the bodies of those still alive will be. 1Corinthians 15:52 tells us that all of this will happen in a blink of an eye. The dead in Christ will rise and we will be changed.
As this world becomes increasingly more unstable and corrupt, we must keep our eyes focused on the prize of Jesus Christ and the Rapture. He is our Bridegroom, and he has promised to come back for his bride, the body of believers who love God and live in Christ. In Matthew 25:13, he tells us to keep watch with all diligence, because we don’t know the exact timing of the Rapture, but we do know it will happen because the Bible tells us so. As those who believe in Jesus Christ, we should be careful to pray fervently and frequently that the Lord will help us to have the kind of heart He requires so we can be raptured. In humility, we should ask him to reveal anything in our hearts that is impeding our fellowship and true spiritual worship of Him. Let this be your greatest priority, so that as his bride, you will be without blemish and ready to meet him in the air when he comes. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
"The Rapture”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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