The Rapture and the Second coming of Christ:
In my forty plus years of ministry I have had many questions regarding the doctrine of the Rapture.
First of all we should be reminded that the word "Rapture" is not to be found in the Bible. The bible refers to this event in future history as being, " CAUGHT UP" (harpazo {har-pad'-zo} to snatch out or away) 1st Thessalonians 4:17. The location of this event is to be, together with them "in the clouds", The reason for this event is to "meet the lord in the air". The duration of this event, "and thus we shall always be with the lord". The purpose of this event is to deliver Christ's followers from judgment, "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9. The Christians caught up to be with Christ will be with Him in heaven until the time of "the second coming of Christ." At that time they will return with Christ to observe the battle of Armageddon. The second coming of Christ. Matthew 24:29-31 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
- So we learn about the rapture in this abbreviated study:
1. Technically the church is not ruptured it is caught up.
2. The church is caught up into the clouds to be with Jesus.
3. The church shall always be with the lord.
- The church has been delivered from Christ's judgment.
5. The church will be gathered by the angels from the four corners of heaven.
6. The Church will return with Christ at His second coming to observe the battle of Armageddon. "And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses". Revelation 19:13
- The rapture occurs prior to the tribulation period which is the judgment brought on the unbelievers after the time of the tribulation.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [for HIS church] and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ [day of judgment] had come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
- falling away comes first, apostasia {ap-os-tas-ee'-ah} a falling away, defection, apostasy
- the man of sin, anthropos {anth'-ro-pos} a human being, is revealed, apokalupsis {ap-ok-al'-oop-sis} a disclosure of truth, the son of perdition, apoleia {ap-o'-li-a} destroying, utter destruction.
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
- Isaiah 14:13
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining [the holy spirit], that he [the antichrist] may be revealed in his own time.
- 1st Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
- 2nd Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
- The church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever,
17 "even the Spirit of truth, [Jesus is the Truth John 14:6] whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
- As long as the church, the temple of God resides on earth acting as the restrainer (1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.) the lawless one will be restrained. When the church, the temple of the Holy Spirit, is removed at the time of the rapture there will be nothing to restrain him.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
- The rapture of His church,
1st Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 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 His church] will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 THEN WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR. AND THUS WE SHALL ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
2nd Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains [the Holy Spirit indwelling the believers Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.] will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
- The second coming of Christ is another event all together. This event brings us a whole new message. It is a message of great judgment. It has been prophesied in Daniel 9:27-29,
~The Seventy Weeks
Daniel 9:24 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
25 "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. the end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."
DAN 12:1 "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.
2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Jesus teaches on this event:
Matthew 24:21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mark 13:19 "For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 24:29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. [The elect are in heaven as a result of the rapture of His church.]
- final confirmation:
~The Rider on a White Horse
Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. [Revelation 7:9-10 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
18 "that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
It has been made quite clear in Scripture that there will be a rapture of the church prior to the Tribulation period that will come seven years prior the second coming of Christ to this earth. This will be a time of great judgment for those who have rejected Jesus as Savior. It will take place at the threshold of the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth where only believers will participate. Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. [Be not deceived, only the saved, those who have accepted Christ as their Savior will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air just prior to the introduction of the tribulation period. This seven year period is vividly described in chapters 6-19 in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. If you are not a child of God it is imperative that you realize your position before the mighty and Holy God of the universe, repent of your sin, and receive Christ as your Savior, now, before it is eternally to late.
