I’ve been getting some questions of late concerning the Rapture of the Church .. So I want to address it in two parts .. 1) Is It Really Real? ..2) If So, Then When? .. So let’s get started ..
First of all, there are a lot of Christians out there that either don’t really believe there is one or have never heard any teaching on the subject to even know anything about it (wake up, preachers!) .. You’d be totally amazed at just how many haven’t even really heard of it .. (I’m shocked! … but not really) .. The Church condition described in Revelation 3:14-22, the Laodicean Church, is truly upon us … Dead, lukewarm, in need of nothing .. you get the point .. & this is exactly why so many are confused about the imminent Rapture of Christ’s ‘true’ Church ..
Let me start with this .. If you believe the Bible, then I can say to you without hesitation that yes, the Rapture is real & is nearly upon us! .. The last & prophetic Book of Revelation lays it all out quite clearly.. Here’s a quick glance .. The book is clearly displayed in a dispensational fashion which, being very brief, goes like this ..
*Chapter One = Introduction
*Chapters 2 & 3 – The Seven Churches representing the Church Age
*Chapter 4 = The Church in Heaven
*Chapter 5 = The Lamb & the Seven-Sealed Book
*Chapters 6-18 = The 7-year Tribulation Period
*Chapter 19 = Christ’s Triumphant return WITH His Church
*Chapters 20-22 = The New Heaven & Earth
Once one understands this, then the Rapture & everything else begins to make sense! .. We don’t need to make it difficult! .. Having said that, we are obviously at the very end of the Chapters 2-3 teachings, the Church Age .. Ok, so how do I know this? .. If we go back & look at Christ’s own teachings concerning His 2nd coming, He tells us plainly as to exactly how it would be hear on Earth just prior to His return, that we would ‘know the season’ .. False teachers, pestilences, famine, increasing earthquakes, wars & rumors of wars, the list goes on .. He also said that these conditions would be like “Birth Pains” .. (You should read it for yourself in Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21) .. Needless to say, unless you live in a tomb, you have to notice that all this craziness going on all around is increasing in intensity & frequency by the moment! .. Hence, birth pains ..
OK, back to Revelation for a moment .. Chapters 2 & 3 lists 7 Churches that represent certain periods of history from the Crucifixion to His return .. As I stated earlier, we are in the final stages of the 7th Church, Laodicea .. Once this concludes, we then move to chapter 4 which sees the Church in Heaven! .. He says to John in vs. 1, “Come up here, and I will show you what takes place after this (the Church age) .. Further proof is in Chapters 6 thru 18 which represent the Tribulation period, where the Church is NEVER AGAIN mentioned until chapter 19! .. So where did it go?! .. In addition, looking at chapter 19 then, it says “After this, I (John) heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting Hallelujah!” .. So who’s the multitude? .. None other than the Church that was taken up “in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:51-52)! …. Do you see what I see? .. How can we be here if we are there?! ..
Simply stated, Christ’s soon return happens in two parts .. The first shows us “meeting Him in the air” with no judgement .. The second clearly shows Christ’s triumphant & victorious return to Earth with His saints where there will be judgement & He will rule HERE ON EARTH for 1000 years! .. The scriptures clearly show us that first, we go up, & then we come down .. There is simply no other logical explanation.
Let me also share some further proof of the truth of the Rapture .. I’m going to share several passages & just quote a portion of each .. My hope is that each of you will ‘open’ your Bibles & look them up for yourself .. Trust me when I say, it will bring a peace to your heart just being in the Word! .. Hallelujah! …
*1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says that we are “caught up” to meet Christ in the air .. Just for reference, “caught up” means ‘Rapture” in the Latin Bible .. Here we are seen ‘going up’ ..
*Matthew 24:40-42 says “two in the field, one left” .. Where did they go? ..
*2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 says ‘The restrainer is taken out of the way’ .. Who is the restrainer? .. None other than the Holy Spirit which dwells in His followers .. This takes place when we are taken ‘up,’ ..
*1 Thessalonians 1:10 says ‘who rescues us from the coming wrath’ .. What is the coming wrath? .. None other than the 7-year tribulation period leading up to our Lord’s return WITH US! ..
*1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says “The dead will rise first, then we will be caught UP together in the clouds” .. Pretty clear I would say ..
*John 14:1-3 says this “I am going there to prepare a place for you …. I (Jesus) will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am” .. But wait a minute, doesn’t He rule here on Earth when He ‘comes down’? .. Then why are we there? .. Simply, further proof we are ‘raptured’ ..
*Colossians 3:2-4 says “We will appear with Him in glory” ..
*1 Thessalonians 3:13 says “the coming of the Lord with all His Saints” .. Hmmmm .. How can we do that if we are still here?! ..
*Revelation 3:10 says “I will keep you from the hour of trial” .. He is referring directly to the 7-year Tribulation period ..
Enough for now, but believe me when I say, there are many more references to the proof of our be ‘taken out’ (‘caught up’ – ‘raptured’) to keep us ‘from that hour of trial’ .. Just always know that our Lord ‘did not appoint us to suffer’ & that ‘we are not in darkness’ (1 Thessalonians 5:4-10) ..
Yes, the amazing evolving chaos all around us will indeed continue to get worse, as the ‘birth pains’ prophecy teaches, but before it reaches its final phase, we will be taken ‘up’ with Jesus & escape the final chaos .. My greatest sadness is that soooo many are totally unaware of this amazing hope! .. So many today are walking In fear because they don’t know the truth of the Bible’s promises .. Simply put, today’s declining ‘Laodicean’ Church has totally failed the flock & allows this fear to exist .. Let me say without equivocation, you have NOTHING TO FEAR if you believe in just one thing .. that Jesus Christ is the one & only Lord & savior! .. That’s it! .. He is King & He is coming back, first to take His family to the ‘place He has prepared for us’, & then return with His family to conquer Satan & all his hordes in the final battle of Armageddon ..
Hallelujah! .. Don’t lose your hope .. Even if you don’t understand it all, you are still saved by just believing in Him .. Hallelujah! ..
I will post part 2 in the next couple of days to address maybe the most pressing question, & that is ‘WHEN’ .. I promise to NOT set a date, but I will give you what I believe is a biblical overview as to ‘when’ .. So ……
Until next time,
Red