“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – 1 Thess. 4:13-18.
This meeting with the Lord Jesus in the air is what is referred to as the rapture. Actually the word ‘rapture’ is not in the Bible. It is a word used by some of the earlier church father’s to refer to being “caught up” unto Jesus in the clouds.
The Greek word translated as ‘rapture’ is ‘harpazo’. It means ‘ to carry off, snatch up, grasp hastily, overpower or seize’. It is a practice of God. So, raptures have taken place since the beginning of the earth.
Example, Enoch was taken away from the earth – Gen.5:24. The prophet Elijah was also caught up to heaven – 2 Kgs. 2:11. Philip the Evangelist was also ‘raptured’ from Gaza to Azotus – Acts 8:39-40,
“Now when they had come out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the Eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus…” All these were foreshadows of the big one to come.
The big rapture
Yes, it seems the future rapture of believers will be the big one. This rapture will not take place without the resurrection of believers who will be physically dead.
As we saw in the last chapter, these believers will rise first at the shout of Jesus and the voice of the archangel plus the blowing of God’s trumpet.
All believers – both resurrected and those alive for the rapture – will be given new bodies with which to meet Jesus, because this ‘flesh and blood’ cannot inherit the Kingdom of God – 1 Cor. 15:51-53,
“Behold I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”.
Taken out of the way
The Apostle Paul tells the church in Thessalonica that there will be a ‘taking out of the way’ referring to the rapture – 2 Thess. 2:6-9,
“And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 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.
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the brightness of His coming” i.e. Jesus’ second coming. (Emphasis mine)
Wow! So, there will be a ‘taking out of the way’ before the “lawless one” is revealed. This “lawless one” is the anti-Christ.
And before he is revealed for the Tribulation period on earth, there will be the rapture of Jesus’ believers from the troubles to come.
The Tribulation time
So, it seems that when we are on our way to our destination, ‘we will displace’ the spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places or second heaven on to the earth.
These spirits will come to torment the earth with twenty-one different troubles. These troubles are from the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven vials of the wrath of God. This will form the Tribulation period.
The Tribulation period spans almost the whole Book of Revelations, which is a revelation of the suffering that our Lord Jesus underwent for mankind on the Cross.
Now, those who do not believe that Jesus suffered for them will have to taste the suffering, awaiting the consummation of not believing Jesus’ suffering on the Cross in the Lake of fire.
Remember, these difficulties on earth after the rapture will not be witnessed by believers. They will physically be with Jesus who came physically to rapture them away from the earth.
It will not be just for them to taste the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, since they believe that Jesus did it on their behalf. But, the rapture and troubles on earth will cause people to be ‘born-again’ during the Tribulation period – Rev. 7:13-14,
“Then one of the elders answered and, saying to me who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from? And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb”.
God’s grace even in judgment
But, Jesus Christ will come back with the ‘raptured believers’ to graciously free the earth from the troubles of the wicked antiChrist. Indeed, except God graciously cuts short the period of suffering, nobody would be saved – Matt. 24:21-22,
“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.
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened”.
This is why Jesus will come again with the ‘raptured’ believers in what is referred to as His second coming.
It is not very clear in Scriptures whether ‘raptured’ believers will be on earth during the Tribulation period and having a separate and great time or they will be in Heaven.
It is most likely they will be in Heaven for their judgment, marriage ceremony to Jesus, and preparation to come back to begin the Millennium rule of Jesus with Him.
However, what is very clear is that, they will physically be with physical Jesus forever after the rapture.
Now, in the next two chapters, we will spend some time discussing the judgment of believers.
