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The Rapture of the Church
The next major Biblical prophecy that will be fulfilled is the rapture
of the church to
heaven. This event is described in the following passage:
We believe that
Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with
Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own
word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the
coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those
who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from
heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with
the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After
that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18
According to this prophecy, Christ will come down from heaven with a
loud voice and trumpet call. The bodies of Christians who have died will be raised, then those Christians will be raised to meet
the others in the air, and both groups will meet Christ and remain with him forever.
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's
house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come back and take you to be with me
that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3
Jesus Christ has gone ahead of us to heaven to prepare dwelling places
for us believers in the Church Age. These are temporary
apartments where we will live in heaven during the seven years of
tribulation on the earth. But how do we know that this is the time period during which we will inhabit these apartments?
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour
of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. Revelation 3:10
For God did not
appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9
These two passages offer the closest thing we have for proof texts of a pre-tribulation rapture. The first passage indicates that
Christians (Church Age saints) will not be subjected to "the hour of
trial" which we interpret as the tribulation period. The second passage goes on to explain that it is not God's intent for
Christians to suffer such consequences. Also, in the preceding passage from 1 Thessalonians 4, we Christians are to "encourage each other with
these words" of explanation about the rapture event. In other words, the rapture is a time of great hope and expectation for us, not
one we must dread due to the trials and tribulations that must first come.
Note that some believers believe in a mid-tribulation rapture, and some in a post-tribulation rapture.
What will life be like on the earth at this time?
Now, brothers,
about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very
well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the
night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety,"
destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant
woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not
in darkness so that this day should surprise
you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of
the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let
us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and
self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those
who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be
self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the
hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer
wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died
for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build
each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1
Thessalonians 5:1-5:11
This indicates that the end times will surprise most people because
they are in the dark about Biblical truths, even though these truths
are readily at their disposal. Unbelievers will be comfortable, in a time they believe offers peace and safety. Then the
believers will be raptured, and the tribulation period will ensue for the unbelievers on the earth.
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing
and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on
as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth
was formed out of water and by water. 2 Peter 3:3-5
At that time, most people will be doing evil and only scoff at Biblical truths, even making fun of the Lord's coming.
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to
their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of
the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have
nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down
with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and
Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.
But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. You, however, know all
about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love,
endurance, persecutions, sufferings-- what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the
Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men
and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. Timothy 3:1-13
Again we see all the evil that will be prevalent on the earth at that
time. Indeed, we could argue that the 21st century is an era where these evils prevail as never before. For example:
- lovers of themselves: Freudian psychology
- lovers of money: Wall Street materialism
- boastful: The normal attitude, from school children to professional athletes
- proud: Again, the norm, self-dependence rather than dependence upon God
- abusive: Child abuse, spousal abuse, and very common verbal abuse
- disobedient to their parents: Teenage rebellion and gangs
- ungrateful: Unwilling to acknowledge help from others
- unholy: Unspiritual and ignorant of Bible doctrine
- without love: Concern for self instead of others
- unforgiving: Impatient with others' shortcomings
- slanderous: Gossip
- without self-control: Addictions
Owen Weber 2009 |
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