Although the word “rapture” does not appear in the Bible, the concept appears numerous times. The word was coined from the Latin rapio or rapere which means to “catch up or snatch away.”

1 Thes. 4:13-18 is the only place in the NT where a “rapture” is clearly referred to.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. – [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17]

Praise God! Jesus promised to come back for His people and this appears to describe that moment.

The Event known as the Rapture.

Clearly, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 teaches that the dead in Christ will rise first (the resurrection), after which we who are still alive will be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds. Yes, the graves of believers will be emptied first, and then those believers among us who are still living will join them to meet Christ.

There are numerous references in Scripture synonymous with the idea of a rapture.  The harvest (Revelation 14:14-16), the reaping, the gathering (Matt. 24), and the resurrection all seem to refer to the same event. You should study those ideas in the Bible to get a fuller understanding of what is called the rapture.

Modern day Confusion about the Rapture

The issue isn’t whether Jesus is coming back for His church. The confusion comes from the elaborate timelines and imaginative sequences people pull out of Scripture—stripped from context and stitched together into a system that leaves good believers distracted, misled, and spiritually unprepared. 

It doesn’t appear the early church believed in the concept of the pre-tribulation rapture taught in many modern day mainstream churches today. This new teaching from the mind of man is relatively recent.

It wasn’t until 1827 that John Nelson Darby, considered the father of dispensationalism, first proposed the pre-tribulation rapture. Critics argue the concept of a rapture was actually taken from one of the charismatic utterances in Edward Irving‘s church by Margaret MacDonald‘s 1830 vision of the end times.

When Will The Rapture Happen?
This is where it gets sticky and causes much division. 

There is no biblical passage that states precisely what day or hour a Rapture will occur, although Matthew 24:29 seems to point to “Immediately after the distress of those days…” If we accept that distress as referring to the tribulation, that would suggest a post-tribulation rapture, and at odds with the Darby version of a pre-tribulation rapture taught in many mainline churches today.

Despite the many predictions of its timing throughout the ages, the fact that “date-setters” do NOT know the date is always made obvious in due time. Such was the case with William Miller in 1844. It was also the case with the Watchtower organization (Jehovah’s Witnesses) in 1914, 1918, 1925 and 1975. In more recent history we have witnessed the same “disappointments” in the failed predictions of Edgar C. Whisenant (1988 and again in 1989), an obscure group of Korean believers (Oct. 28, 1992), the Harold Camping Rapture of 1994, M. J. Agee’s rapture (May 31, 1998), Steve Fletcher (June 6. 2013), or Renee Moses’s 2001, 2014 and latest Sept. 23, 2015 date.

Division in the Church

The rapture is one of the more controversial subjects and is one of the more divisive issues in modern-day Christianity.

Because of its divisive nature many people don’t talk about it – nor do they study the scriptures pertaining to it. They consider the rapture and indeed most prophecy as a subject that cannot be understood and rely on the popularized teachings of others.

Some say that prophecy and specifically the end time events surrounding the rapture are non-essential teachings and thus its not important what beliefs people hold about it. I would agree what a person believes about the rapture or end time events does NOT determine their salvation.  On the other hand, what a person believes about these scriptural events does impact how they live out their Christian lives while still alive here on earth.

I believe Christians should put away the teachings and traditions of man and instead prayerfully study the Scriptures for themselves regarding prophetic events.

It’s Important to Study All Scripture

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

It says, “All Scripture,” and that includes passages dealing with prophecy, end-time events, and a rapture. Neglecting those passages that are more difficult to understand or deal with will surely diminish our effectiveness in teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness and will leave us ill-equipped for every good work.

We do not need to be unaware… as Scripture tells us everything we need to know. We do not need to be confused… as Scripture breathed into our hearts by the Holy Spirit will take away all confusion.

While nobody can know the precise timing of a rapture, I do believe it may be possible to know the general time as inferred in Scripture.

It would seem to me if the rapture (or harvest or reaping) is a future event, it would seem to perhaps be in the time-frame of Rev. 14.

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. – Revelation 14:14-16

Allowing Scripture to translate Scripture, it is important to note the Bible also refers to the end of the age as a harvest in Matthew 13:39: “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”

Following the gathering or harvest in Rev. 14 comes the seven plagues in Rev. 15 and bowl judgements filled with the wrath of God in Rev. 16, thus the pre-wrath rapture.

Prior to Rev. 14 is where the seven trumpet judgements occur and the beast coming out of the sea is revealed (Rev. 13:13), being given authority for forty-two months (Rev. 13:5) with power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. (Rev. 13:7).  This, I believe, describes the tribulation.  Believers have not yet been raptured (harvested [Revelation 14:14-16], reaped, or gathered [Matt. 24]), as the beast is given authority to wage war against God’s holy people who are still present on earth.

It’s important to note here that preterists believe Rev. 14 and indeed most of the book of Revelation is a symbolic representation of the siege of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple in 70AD.  It has been fulfilled in historical accounts and the coming of the Lord in this context was His coming to bring destruction of the Jewish temple and the end of the Jewish covenant.

Second Coming, Tribulation, and the Millennium

Scripture speaks often of the Second Coming of Christ—our blessed hope—across both the Old and New Testaments. It also describes a period of tribulation and a millennial reign. The real debate among Christians isn’t whether these things happen, but when they happen. The controversy centers on the timing and sequence of the Tribulation and the Millennium, and several schools of thought have emerged over the years. For someone new to prophecy, keeping all of this straight can feel overwhelming. My goal in the articles on this website is to explain these views plainly and help clear away some of the confusion.

First, there are three major views Christians hold about the Tribulation and the Millennium, and understanding these will help frame the entire discussion.

Premillennialism

Premillennialists believe there will be a literal Golden Age on earth, but only after Christ returns bodily to Jerusalem and reigns for a thousand years. In this view:

• The present Church Age ends with a seven‑year Tribulation.
• Christ returns, defeats evil, and establishes a literal millennial kingdom on earth.
• After the Millennium, eternity is spent in glorified bodies on a renewed earth—not in an ethereal heaven.

Postmillennialism

Postmillennialists apply the Golden Age passages to history before Christ returns. They believe:

• The gospel will advance powerfully, leading to a long era of Christian flourishing—the “millennium.”
• Christ returns after this Golden Age.
• The Westminster Larger Catechism largely reflects this outlook.
• Modern postmillennial influence in America is strongest among the Chalcedon group, following Rousas J. Rushdoony.
• Related terms include Christian Reconstruction, Kingdom Now Theology, and Dominion Theology.
• They do not teach a separate rapture. Believers are “caught up” at Christ’s final return as part of the general resurrection and final judgment.

Amillennialism

Amillennialists believe the Golden Age is spiritual, not literal, and that there will be no earthly millennium. Their view, shaped significantly by St. Augustine around A.D. 400, teaches:

• The present Church Age is the Millennium, because the Holy Spirit restrains evil.
• The present Church Age is also the Tribulation, because the church suffers persecution.
• Christ returns suddenly, the redeemed are resurrected in spiritual bodies, the unrighteous are judged, and the material universe passes away.
• Eternity is spent with God in a heavenly, spiritual realm.

Regardless of the scenario, the time, or methods God uses we can be confident that Jesus will save us and take us to the place He has prepared for us.

“In My Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” [John 14:2-3]

Hope for the Best, but Prepare for the Worst
It is all too often easy to focus on the sequence of events or methods and take our eyes off Jesus. We cannot know the details of God’s plan but we can know the person who will reveal that plan to us. Our focus must be on Jesus and we must listen for His voice and follow Him. That alone will bring us through whatever the future holds and He alone can save us.

At the same time, the Bible tells us to prepare ourselves.  There is much in scripture that points to the difficulties Christians will suffer and how to conduct ourselves while we wait for His return.

A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. – Proverbs 22:3

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6:6-8

My Conclusion

For many years, my theology fit best within the premillennial view. Yet apart from the timing debates, I’ve also come to appreciate certain insights from the postmillennial camp—especially their emphasis on applying God’s law in the present age. As I continued studying Scripture and praying, my thinking shifted away from the imaginative timelines of men and toward the simple, powerful teachings of Jesus and His Kingdom. I still believe there will be a future transformation (rapture) from this physical world into the fullness of God’s spiritual kingdom, but I’m content to leave the details in His hands. What is clear to me is that many biblical prophecies have already been fulfilled—or are unfolding before our eyes—and those that remain will come to pass exactly according to God’s perfect plan.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. – 1 Corinthians 13:12

 

A day of reckoning will come.
What is YOUR response?