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The Rapture of the Church
Donald Perkins
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice if the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in
Christ shall rise first."
The Rapture of the Church is the next major glorious event to take place in God's prophetic plan. In this article, we will look at this doctrine in depth.
Today, there are many
views on the subject. Many in the Church have taken a "let's wait and
see" attitude because they have been confused by so many teachings.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
verse 13 - 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.
verse 14 - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
verse 15 - For this we say unto 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.
verse 16 - For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice if the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the
dead in Christ shall rise first.
verse 17 - 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.
The meaning of the word Rapture
The word
"Rapture" is borrowed from the Latin Vulgate Bible and appears in the
English Bible as "caught up."
"Caught
up" in Greek is "harpazo", which means "to snatch or
catch away... to seize, pluck up, pull, take by force."
The verb
"harpazo" means "to seize upon or take to oneself,"
"to seize upon with force."
It is also used
generally as meaning to "forcibly seize upon or take to oneself."
The English word also
means "to transport to a state of happiness" which comes from a Latin
word "rapio."
Rapio means "to
seize quickly or suddenly or to snatch away."
Webster's Dictionary
defines Rapture as:
(1) the state of being carried away with joy, love, etc.
(2) a carrying away or being carried away in body or spirit.
As described in the
definition, the Rapture will be the physical taking out of the saints by Jesus.
He will seize upon His Church with force.
We will be caught up
to the joys of our Lord.
A verse-by-verse look at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Verse 13 "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."
"...which are asleep..."
The word "asleep"
in Greek is "koimao."
In the New Testament
this always refers to the Body that is asleep and not to the soul.
It means "to put
to sleep, pass or reflex, to slumber, to decrease, be a fall, a fall on, sleep
be dead."
The Apostle Paul was
giving understanding to the Thessalonians about their dead loved ones.
He wanted them to
know that only their bodies were asleep or decease, but not their souls or
spirits.
So there was no need
to be sorrowful. He went on to explain:
"...which have
no hope..."
In the latter part of
this verse, Paul explained that the Church need not sorrow as the world does
when it loses a loved one.
The Church has a hope
of seeing their dead loved ones again. This hope is locked in the resurrection
of the Just. (Note John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15; Daniel 12:2.)
Verse 14 - "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."
The condition of
those who are Raptured will be on the basis they believe in the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The scripture teaches
that those who believe are saved. (Romans 10:8-11.)
For those who have
died in Jesus, their spirits and souls will, at the time of the Rapture, be
brought with Him.
Their spirits and
souls will be reunited with their physical resurrected bodies and at that time
their bodies will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible bodies. (I Corinthians
15:50-57.)
Paul went on to
explain:
Verse 15 - "For this we say unto 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."
"... we say unto you by the Word of the Lord..."
The message of the
Rapture was given to Apostle Paul by the Word of the Lord. This doctrine was a
mystery for the Church from God. (I Corinthians 15:51.)
J. Dwight Pentcost sums up the mystery like this: The Church
and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan. The Church
is a mystery unrevealed in the Old Testament. This present mystery age
intervenes within the program of God for Israel because of Israel's rejection
of the Messiah at His first advent. This mystery program must be completed
before God can resume His program with Israel and bring it to
completion..."
"... we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the
Lord..."
Here we have another
condition given to those who are alive at the time of the Rapture.
Those who remain are
those who are still remaining in Christ and have kept their faith. These will
be caught up to meet Jesus.
Our Lord is coming
back for a prepared people; that is, only for those who are ready.
Those who have
back-slid will not be raptured. Those who are separated from sin will be
raptured. Paul gave the warning in his letter to the Corinthians. (2 Corinthians
6:14-18.)
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." (2 Corinthians 6:17)
At the time of the Rapture,
if you are separated from sin, Jesus will receive you unto Himself!
"... shall not prevent
them which are asleep."
The word
"prevent" in Greek means "to anticipate, to be before, or to
precede".
Here the scripture gives reference to the fact that we which are
alive shall not go up before those who have died in Christ before us, because
the Word of God declares that "every man in his own order" after
the death of Christ. (I Corinthians 15:23.)
"But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."
Thus the dead in
Christ will be raised first, every man in his own order.
Then shall those who
are alive be caught up and changed. But we all, both the dead and alive, shall
meet Christ in the clouds together.
Verse 16 - "For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first."
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven..."
Our Lord Jesus
Himself will come to receive us unto Himself. Here the scripture indicates that
our Lord will physically come to get us.
In the Gospel of John
14:1-3, our Lord stated in verse three:
"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."
Our Lord promised
that He would come and receive us unto Himself.
Many today teach that
Jesus will never physically come again. But the scriptures prove differently.
Our Lord will come again and receive His Church unto Himself.
The phrase "coming
of the Lord" in verse 15, explains the beginning of verse 16, Jesus'
descent is called His coming.
The coming is
translated: "parousia" which means "presence or arrival."
Our Lord will physically be here to meet us.
"... with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel..."
The shout, the announcement
of victory for the Church. The voice of the Archangel to proclaim that Christ
is here, as He promised to take those who are ready for His gathering.
The voice of shout
will be Michael, the Archangel. Archangel in Greek means:
Archaggelos - A chief
angel – Archangel
Arch- To be first (in
political rank or power): reign (rule) over
Aggelos- To bring
tidings, a messenger:esp. an "Angel"
The chief angel of
Heaven will announce the coming of our Lord for the Church.
"... with the
trump of God..."
The trump of God will
sound. This blast will sound the alarm of the Rapture. This sound will get the
attention of the world, living and dead.
The trump of God at
the Rapture has been confused with the trump of the seven trumpet judgment of
God in Revelation 8;2, 6-13, 9:1-21 and 11:15.
As a result, many
would use these verses to claim that the Church will be raptured at the middle
of the Great Tribulation Period.
The scriptures are
clear that these are two different trumpets sounding.
The blowing of the
trumpet in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is a trump of victory and the trumpet of
Revelation 8:13 are trumpets of woe and judgement in the Tribulation.
"... and the
dead in Christ shall rise first..."
After the Archangel
sounds the trump, the dead in Christ will be raised.
Note: The emphasis is
on the dead in Christ. At the Rapture those who have died in Christ will be
risen first.
The scripture
declares "Blessed are the dead." (Revelation 14:13.)
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, 'Write,
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow
them." (Revelation 14:13)
Verse 17 - "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."
"... Then we
which are alive and remain..."
As stated earlier, a
condition was given for those who are alive at the point of Rapture.
The saints of God
that hath continued with Him will be caught up; those who have overcome the
world and the devil. Many that are not saved and are in a back-slid condition
will not be raptured.
"... shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds."
Those that die in
Jesus, and those that are alive and remain, shall be gathered together in the
clouds.
At this time we will
be seized, caught up, taken by force to meet Jesus in the air.
"... And so
shall we ever be with the Lord."
Those that are raptured
will forever be with the Lord. The door of Rapture will be the end of struggle
for the righteous and they will be delivered from temptation and test from the
devil.
Verse 18 - "Wherefore comfort one another with these
words."
The Doctrine of the
Rapture is a message of comfort.
The Apostle Paul
commanded us to comfort one another with these words.
The Rapture should be
taught in every church to give the blessed hope and comfort of the soon return
of Jesus for His Church.
Different views of the Rapture
There are many views
being taught on the subject of the Rapture. The four different views addressed
here are:
Post Tribulationist
Pre-wrath Tribulationist
Mid-Tribulationist
Pre-Tribulationist
Pre-wrath Tribulationist
Mid-Tribulationist
Pre-Tribulationist
Post Tribulationist view: Teaches that the Church will be
raptured at the end of the Great Tribulation Period. They believe that at the
Second Coming of Christ, the church will be caught up to meet Jesus and then
simultaneously return with Christ.
Pre-wrath Tribulationist view: Teaches that the Church will be
raptured at the middle of the last three and a half years of the Great
Tribulation Period. This is the newest view on the scene.
Mid-Tribulationist view: Teaches that the Church will be
raptured in the middle of the Great Tribulation Period.
Pre-Tribulationist view: Teaches that the Church will be
raptured before the Tribulation Period. This view, I believe, stands the test
of the scriptures for many reasons:
The Church has not been called to the wrath of God.
The scriptures teach
that the events of the Great Tribulation Period is the wrath of God. (Revelation 6:16, 17;
15:7, 8.)
Christ hath delivered
us from the wrath to come. (I Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 5:9; John 3:36; Luke 21:36).
The Church will not
go through the Great Tribulation Period.
The difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of
Christ
I believe the reason
there are so many views on the Rapture is because many Bible students don't
know the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.
These are two separate
and distinct comings of our Lord.
At the Rapture of the
Church, Christ will not touch the earth, but will be met in the air by the
saints. (I Thessalonians 4:17.)
At the Second Coming,
He will touch the earth at His coming. (Zechariah 14:4; Acts 1:11.)
At the Rapture, He
will come as a deliverer of the Church in joyous splendor.
In the Second Coming,
He will come back to deliver Israel physically and fight against the
anti-christ and his fouls. (Revelation 19:11-21.)
Rapture
I Thessalonians 4:17: - "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."
Second Coming
Zechariah 14:4: "And His feet shall stand in that day upon
the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of
Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west,
and there shall be a very great valley; and the half of the mountain shall
remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."
Acts 1:11: "Which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into
Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
The results of the Rapture of the Church
The Rapture of the
Church will accomplish many things in the plan of God.
It will take the Church out of the world before the Great Tribulation Period begins. (I Thessalonians 4:13-16; 1:10.)
It will take the Church out of the world before the Great Tribulation Period begins. (I Thessalonians 4:13-16; 1:10.)
The Rapture will
cause the resurrection of the righteous dead and the catching up of the living
saints to life immortal. (I Thessalonians 4:15, 17; John 5:28, 29; Daniel 12:2; I
Corinthians 15:50-57.)
The Rapture of the
Church will mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation because after the Church
is taken out, the anti-christ will come on the scene. (Revelation 6:1, 2.)
The Church will be
taken so the Lord can finish His prophetic dealing with the nation of Israel. (Daniel 9:26,27.)
The message of the
rapture produces comfort and gives a strong foundation of hope to the saints. (I Thessalonians
4:18.)
The promise and warning regarding the Rapture
From our study, we
know that the Lord has promised to come for the Church. Jesus said that He
would receive us unto Himself, and where He is we would be with Him. (John 14:1-4.)
"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 14:3)
Just as our Lord gave
the promise, He also gave warnings regarding the Rapture. Those who will be
raptured will be those who are saved and washed in the Blood of Christ. The
Church has to be separate from the world. Those who are, Jesus will receive
them. (II Corinthians 6:14-18.)
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you." (2 Corinthians 6:17)
Jesus gave a warning
to the Church as a whole when he sent the seven letters to the Churches.
In one of his
letters, he warned the Church called Thyatira by telling them to repent from
their sins. If not, they would be cast into the Great Tribulation Period. Those
who are cast will not be raptured. (Revelation 2:18-23.)
"Behold I will cast her into a bed and them that commit
adultery with her into Great Tribulation except they repent of their
deeds." (Revelation 2:22)
Christians have an
obligation to warn back-slidden Christians and sinners that Jesus is coming
back to take our glorious Church. (Ephesians 5:26, 27.)
"That He might
present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such things; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:27)
Our
mission - make Jesus known!
Praisegate
International Ministries started 2005 in California and is fully approved as a
non-profit organization in USA. Our purpose and goal is to equip God's people
and make Jesus known.
Praisegate
publish books and music. Together with the Sjöbergs förlag, a
Swedish Christian book publishing company, Praisegate is involved in a new
Swedish Expanded Bible translation, see karnbibeln.se for more info.
The
founders are Jonas and Lisa Bergsten, who since 2006 lives in Sweden.
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