The Rapture

The Rapture
Source:www.jeremiahproject.com
Although the word "rapture" does not appear in the Bible, the concept appears numerous times. Rapture does not mean "ecstasy" though it will be one of the most thrilling sensations ever to be known. 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 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: 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." [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17]
This event is known as the rapture. Clearly, this passage teaches that the dead in Christ will rise first, after which we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds. To those who know, the "rapture" means the coming of Christ to take us home to Glory, to which we look forward with joyous anticipation. We all know that the coming of Christ is found often in the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments. But this special coming, known as the "rapture" is only found in the New Testament. The first time it is said by the Lord Jesus Himself, when we hear Him say:
"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]
No biblical passage states precisely what day or hour the Rapture will occur, but when it does multitudes who are ready will be taken. Their sudden removal may cause a mysterious world crisis, confusion and panic, such as:
Driverless car, bus, truck and train wrecks.
Airplane crashes due to missing crew members.
Mass confusion of the radio and TV news media.
Telephone circuits overloaded, operators missing.
Numerous and uncontrollable fires and looting.
Rampaging lawlessness, crime and mobs, which the remaining police are not able to control.
Graves of the saved opened and bodies resurrected.
Packed churches of liberal religious and false cults seeking answers from their ministers.
Families terrified and in shock over missing saved family members, while the unsaved family members are still left on the earth.
When Will It Happen? No man knows the day or the hour when this rapture will occur. 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 "dissapointments" 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, or M. J. Agee's rapture (May 31, 1998).

Christians generally agree that the Bible speaks of the advent of a Golden Age of universal victory and blessing. However, there are several schools as to the timing of this advent. For the novice, getting and keeping all this straight can be a bit of a challenge. I will try to explain and clear up some of the confusion in the articles contained here. First of all, there are three general views that need to be understood.

Premillennialist There will be a Golden Age in history, but it cannot occur until after Christ returns bodily to this earth and rules with coercive force from the earthly Jerusalem - Christ must physically return to earth before there can be a Golden Age or millennium. The present Church Age would end with a seven year period of Tribulation, followed by a thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth. Eternity would be spent in glorified bodies on a new Earth, not in an ethereal Heaven.

Postmillennialist Applies these Golden Age passages to history in the current age before Christ returns -- Christ will return after the Golden Age or millennium. The Westminster Larger Catechism espoused an eschatology mostly in harmony with postmillennialism. Today not a single evangelical seminary is committed to postmillennialism. The strongest postmillennial influence in America today comes from the Chalcedon group, who are disciples of Rousas J. Rushdoony. Frequently used terms for this current belief are are Christian Reconstruction, Kingdom Now Theology and Dominion Theology.

Amillennialist The Golden Age in history is limited to the spiritual realm, and that there will be no literal Golden Age on earth. St. Augustine formulated this viewpoint around A.D. 400, holding that the current Church Age will end abruptly with the Rapture of the Church, with the unrighteous consigned to Hell, the Redeemed resurrected in spiritual bodies to take up residence with God in an ethereal Heaven, and the material universe ceases to exist. The present Church Age is both the Millennium because the Holy Spirit is restraining evil in the world and also the Tribulation because the Church suffers persecutions.
Whenever it happens, it will be too late for the unsaved. Regardless of the scenario or methods God uses we can be confident that Jesus will save us and take us to the place He has prepared for us. 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.My theology best fits that of the premillennialist and the main focus of the articles found here will be from a premillennialist viewpoint. Furthermore, I believe the Pre-Wrath Rapture best fits what Scripture teaches and that all of the prophecies have been fulfilled that have to be fulfilled before Jesus comes again. It could be very soon! Are you ready? Is your heart right with God? Don't you want to miss the great time of tribulation and judgment that is coming upon the earth?