“Rapture” is a Latin term for the taking away of a large group of people from one place to another. An early translation of the Bible, the Vulgate, used the term and it is now the ordinary way of naming this great event.
The Apostle Paul is the source of the doctrine of the Rapture.
This is not surprising, when we accept that Paul was given the secret of God, never disclosed in the Old Testament. This secret was a mystery to everyone until Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, was allowed to open it to us. It was a detailed revelation of the make-up, offices, structure, development and departure of the completed Bride of Christ to meet the Heavenly Bridegroom in the air.
Romans 9-11 are Paul’s explanation of God’s sovereign right to offer salvation to the Gentiles. This would be a real shock to the Jews as they knew their distinctive calling by God to be His people. This was true, but had been perverted into a sinful nationalistic Godless pride that dishonored God and offended Gentiles. Paul’s explanation was meant to establish God’s faithfulness in the minds of all, and to reaffirm His righteousness in all His ways.
What is the Rapture?
It is the return of Christ for His Bride, the church, made up of born-again people. Christ will return in the clouds, just as He left, and call all living believers to Himself. Saints who died before this event will already be with Him in spirit form. Their bodies will be called out of their graves and instantaneously transformed into glorified form.
Living believers will not have to die, but will be transformed into the eternal state as they rise to join the saints and meet Christ in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. Christ then will usher us into Heaven, to His Judgment Seat, and then present us to the Father.
Who will go in the Rapture?
Every person who is born-again, whether living or dead. We are a spiritual body, and no part of the Bride will be left behind. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV)
What about Christians with no visible “fruit” or who once seemed to love the Lord but have drifted away? Will they go? Yes. Salvation from the punishment of sin has never been based of the performance of any believer. Thankfully, eternal life has always been a gift, based on the sterling performance of Another, the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be no mistakes made, as God can read hearts, while we as humans can only see works. God sees faith in Christ in its embryonic form before it matures, just as He even knows how many apples a tree will produce at its planting.
If we are concerned some are getting away with sin and slackness, remember, all believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to have their earthly works approved or disapproved. Only works will be judged there, not souls, as our sins were judged before at Calvary in the Person of Christ.
This is a great incentive to seek the filling of the Spirit daily that we might serve Christ in an acceptable manner. It’s pleasant to remember Jesus promised even the slightest deed done in His Name, (like giving a brother a glass of water) would be rewarded. How like Jesus, seeking the good, even in the least of us! (Pause for tears of gratitude here).
What are the signs to look for? How close are we?
There are signs for the Second Coming, which will be all about the redemption of Israel. This is in keeping with the manner in which God authenticated His messengers and His message to Israel in the past. God’s method explains the main reason Jesus did so many signs, wonders and miracles in His earthly ministry, as He presented Himself and the Kingdom to Israel in His first Advent. The last and final sign to Israel was His bodily resurrection. A sign does not require faith to happen, like a miracle does. The resurrection is thus a fitting sign and the last one to an unrepentant Israel.
The Rapture, in sharp contrast, is imminent, meaning it could happen anytime. It needs no signs, since the Bride has been made ready by the Spirit. The Spirit has also given us His Word on this event, so we need no sign. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:51, expresses the faith that he would be in the Rapture while still alive. This was not an error on his part. It is always right to anticipate the Rapture until it happens or until we die.
If we die before the Rapture, we will instantly be with Christ and return in the sky when He does in that great event. Our dead bodies will be raised and transformed into a glorious resurrection body like Christ’s and our new nature will slip into its new, eternal home. Then we will watch with joy supreme as living saints, our brothers and sisters, are caught up to be with the Lord and us. They will be transformed into the glorified creatures we have just become, by the grace of God. They come to us without even dying. What a joyous time!
What wonder as our oft-tested faith is proven true in the wonder of His Presence…and so shall we ever be with the Lord!
Understanding this truth will put a lot of scripture into proper perspective. Which is a good thing, since knowing the future always relieves present pressure, especially when the eternal future is going to be so wonderful! Accepting this truth of the Rapture has benefits. It helps us focus on spiritual matters, is a present hope in the midst of trials, and is an incentive to purify our thoughts and lives by the surety of the Rapture. It’s called the Blessed Hope for a reason, and a special reward (crown) is promised for those who deliberately keep it in view. We are to comfort one another with this truth, not beat them with it!
How will I react to all of this before and when it happens?
1 John urges Christians to continue to develop their faith into mature faith. Those who don’t cooperate with the means of growth in grace (Scripture, prayer, fellowship, service) will understandably suffer some trepidation in anticipation of the Rapture. Yet when Christ does return and we see Him, we shall be like Him.
I take this to mean we will undergo a great change in our thinking, along with the wonders of the rest of our glorification. We will think completely like Christ about righteousness and purity. Earthly relationships will be seen in the light of eternal truth and our questions about lost loved ones and what might have been, resolved at last, to the glory of God.
The best result of knowing this Rapture is coming is to plant a new zeal in our hearts to pursue the scriptural Christ in our thinking, to really hear Him who loved us unto death and washed us in His own blood. This true hearing of His word includes the acceptance of all of God's Word, but Paul's teaching in particular when it comes to the church's earthly existence and Heavenly destination.
It's my conviction the failure in diminishing his role and revelation in the plan of God is the cause of much confusion. Let us listen to Paul, just as we would listen to Christ if we would truly understand church doctrines to the glory of God.
Christ will help us by His Spirit to live to honor Him and do something for Him, in some way, even today.
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