The Rapture

The word rapture is not in the bible. The word means to be caught up or carried away. 1 Thess 4:16-17 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.

You can see here in 1 Thess 4:17 the scripture tell us we shall be caught up with the Lord in the clouds, or raptured. This is where the term rapture comes from. It is quoting 1 Thess 4:17 and instead of saying to be caught up, the term became known as raptured. This will be a great and wonderful day for the believers, but a dreadful beginning for those who have not decided to follow the Lord. After this takes place, then the great tribulation will begin, which lasts for seven years. It will be the worst this world has ever seen or ever will see. Matt 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. The word tribulation comes from the Latin word tribulare, which means to press, great misery, or distress, or the cause of it.

1 Cor 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 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. In 1 Corinthians 15 the bible tells us that all of us shall die (that’s what is meant by the word sleep in this verse), but be changed in a split second to be with the Lord. This goes along what was said about the rapture in 1 Thess 4. This is not the same as the Lord’s coming, 2^nd coming, or the Day of the Lord. This is when God comes for His people to take them to heaven with Him for them to be kept from the great tribulation that is to follow. The Lord does not change – Malachi 3:6 says – and He took Noah and his family aboard the ark to rescue them from destruction that came upon the earth with the flood. He also took Lot, his wife, and two daughters out of Sodom and Gomorrah before He destroyed those cities. Lot’s wife never made it completely having disobeyed God by looking back at Sodom and Gomorrah when she was told not to. Lot’s two son-in-laws did not make it because they laughed at Lot when he told them, “God was going to destroy that place”.

This is known as the rapture of the church where God’s people will be with Him in heaven during the great tribulation period, and spared of the evil that will come upon the earth for all their ungodliness.

Matt 24:36-44 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 4 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. If you have the heard the gospel, or the good news of what Jesus did for you, and rejected it, if the rapture takes place you will not have a second chance. 2 Thess 2:8-12 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. Those who heard the gospel before and rejected Him, then He will send them a strong delusion to them that would believe a lie. You do not want to miss the rapture because you have heard the gospel, and you will not be given a second chance after He comes for His people, just like the flood with Noah, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot.

The rapture can happen at a moment when you did not think it would. If you are not following Jesus closely, you could miss it. When will the rapture take place? The rapture will take place before the great tribulation period begins. When is this, you may ask? No man knows the day or hour, but we will know the season. Read the paper on THE END TIMES: DON’T LET IT TAKE YOU BY SURPRISE! This explains when Jesus is coming back. Remember, once He comes for His church, there is still seven years left for the great tribulation here on earth, before Jesus is coming back with all His people to set up His kingdom on this earth. Hallelujah!

Repent for the hour draws near. I say Repent, turn away from your sins, and turn to Jesus. Let Him come into your heart and life, and be ready for the King’s coming. You do not want to blow this one, because this would be the final blow for you forever and ever. When you come to the Lord, you should make up your mind you will not turn back from Him, for I am staying with the Lord where it is safe. Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. You do not want to be on God’s bad side, but on His good side.

One good way to stay ready for His coming is to find a good bible teaching, believing church and become involved in church life. You have a new life in Christ now, if you have received Him into your heart, and you need to do things that will help your new life to grow and be strong in the Lord. Do not try to do this on your own, the devil is strong when we are weak. When we are by ourselves we are weak at times, but with other believers around us, we are strong. Jesus sent them out to preach two by two’s, and not by themselves. Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Get saved – time is running out! Remember you’re not guaranteed tomorrow, but you have been given today. Written by Pastor Michael Wilson

This is known as the rapture of the church where God’s people will be with Him in heaven during the great tribulation period, and spared of the evil that will come upon the earth for all their ungodliness.

“The truth will make you free”