WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SAY ABOUT THE RAPTURE
What does the bible really say about the rapture, exactly what the Bible says about the Rapture While it may feel like a long time from now until we join God in the New Heaven and New Earth, God has no concept of time. These coming eschatological events are propelled by the rapture.
To ensure that everyone who accepts that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,” shall pass from spiritual death into spiritual life through His name, the gospel of Christ is preached to all.
The rapture of the church is a contentious issue among Christians today, both in ecclesiastical settings and in intellectual settings. The rapture is a topic that has given rise to a wide range of opinions, many of which have been developed over time by different academics.
What does the bible really say about the rapture, different perspective will influence how you perceive eschatological occurrences. What the Bible says about the rapture will be covered in this article.
WHAT IS THE RAPTURE
How would you answer if I asked you to describe the rapture in two words or less in light of Revelation 4:1-3?
It would be heaven-bound for me. Finally, I’m headed towards heaven. To me, the rapture represents that.
The rapture of the church is the only occurrence that signals the end of the church age. All persons who professed faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior between the time of Pentecost and the rapture are collectively referred to as the church. The rapture is the moment when Jesus returns for His followers at the sound of the midnight hour.
The living followers of Jesus Christ who are still alive will experience a miraculous transformation into glorified bodies and be swept up, or raptured, into the air to be with the Lord. In order to meet their celestial spirits, which are coming down with the Lord, those whose bodies are sleeping on the earth will be awakened from their rest and brought together in the air. Whether they are alive or dead, all New Testament believers will rise to meet the Lord in the air. This is what is referred to as the rapture.
This is known as the fortunate hope in the Bible. You should be prepared for the Lord’s return and the rapture, but you shouldn’t be alarmed by it. Keep in mind that while worry and grief both look behind us, hope looks ahead. We cannot afford to remain stupid because we are on a collision course with fate.
To hear a sermon on what the rapture is and when it will take place, click the link below. Jesus will return; the question is, are you prepared? Amen.
RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
The rapture will occur more quickly than the “twinkling of an eye,” according to Paul.
Because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a resounding command, an archangel’s voice, and God’s trumpet call, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, along with them, those of us who are still alive and still on earth will be taken up into the clouds to be with the Lord in the air. As a result, we will live forever with the Lord 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
The Lord will descend from heaven, according to Paul’s statements in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, yet He won’t really land on the planet. The Second Coming, which is distinct from the rapture of the church, is when the Lord will physically descend to earth.
Many academics conflate the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ, although these are two separate future occurrences. The scriptures in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 inform us that in addition to the Lord descending from heaven, there will be a “loud command” and an archangel’s voice will speak.
Although we are unsure of what this audible instruction may be, it may be the Lord urging us to return to Him. Identification of the archangel is controversial, much like the loud demand, although most scholars concur that this is the voice of Michael, the archangel.
The trumpet is thought to be a reflection of the trumpet sounds in the Old Testament, which were symbolic of God giving an announcement to His people, and we are also informed there would be the “trumpet call of God” during the rapture of the church.
The believers who are currently alive will rise to meet Christ in the air after the trumpet call of God, followed by the dead in Christ. The term “dead in Christ” refers to Christians who died before to the rapture.
All believers who had passed away will be raised to life and given access to their glorified bodies during the rapture. If a believer is still alive at the time of the rapture, their body will be changed into their glorified bodies and they will be taken up with Christ. Therefore, a Christian will be taken up to be with the Lord regardless of whether they are living or dead at the time of the rapture.
Before the seven-year tribulation, there will be a brief occurrence called the rapture that will take place. Many academics hold contrasting opinions on this matter, particularly when one is a covenant theologian and the other is a dispensationalist.
Both covenant theology and dispensationalism have the Bible as their cornerstone, yet depending on how they read the scripture, they reach very different conclusions.
Although we were also taught covenant theology in the Bible college and seminary I attended, both of which were dispensationalist institutions, I was taught in accordance with dispensationalism.
I also developed a dispensational view of eschatology through my classes in college and seminary as well as from my own personal Bible study, departing from covenant theology.
This is in line with Paul’s assertion in 1 Thessalonians 5:9–10, which reads, “For God did not elect us to wrath, but to obtain redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ. He sacrificed himself for us so that we may coexist with him, whether we are awake or asleep.
We can infer from Paul’s remarks that God has not predestined us for judgment but for salvation.
God will rapture Christians before the start of the tribulation because He does not want His children to endure the horrible and gloomy days of the tribulation. The pre-tribulation perspective of the rapture is the name given to this viewpoint.
DIVERGING OPINIONS
The pre-wrath view and the post-tribulation view are two of the various interpretations of the rapture that are taught by covenant theology.
Myself included, the majority of dispensationalists stick to the pre-tribulationary interpretation of the rapture, whilst covenant theologians will either hold to the pre-wrath interpretation or the post-tribulationary interpretation.
The pre-wrath adheres to the belief that God will remove His children from the earth before the Great Tribulation, the second half of the tribulation.
The pre-wrath view divides God’s wrath from Satan’s vengeance because they hold that God’s fury begins the tribulation while Satan’s wrath lasts for the final four and a half years.
This is incorrect because God’s wrath is the only component of the tribulation. In other words, the world is simply experiencing God’s anger. The tribulation is not under the control of Satan since God, not Satan, is the one who brings about its occurrences.
According to the post-tribulation perspective on the rapture, the event will take place at the conclusion of the seven-year tribulation period.
Supporters of the post-tribulation view the rapture as combining both the Second Coming of Christ and the rapture of the church.
These people hold the view that believers will be miraculously preserved during the Tribulation and then caught up to Heaven at its conclusion.
Last but not least, according to the pre-tribulation view, the rapture takes place before God pours forth His wrath on the earth for seven years.
SOON AFTER THE RAPTURE
From a pre-tribulation perspective, believers will be brought to heaven following the rapture of the church, where we will take part in the Bema throne of Christ (Romans 14:10-12).
The Bema seat of Christ is a test of one’s earthly service to Christ rather than a test of one’s salvation. The fact that a person is eternally saved from the moment they chose Jesus as their Savior and Lord means that salvation is never in peril at this point.
Once someone chooses Christ, they are saved, and this is something that cannot be taken away. At the Bema throne of Christ, believers will get awards for their work for Christ as well as have rewards taken away for their inaction.
The thousand-year reign of Christ will be established after the Bema throne of Christ and the conclusion of the tribulation on earth, followed by the New Heaven and New Earth.
The Lord will visibly walk among His people and live with us throughout the thousand-year genuine reign of Christ.
God will construct the New Heaven and New Earth, which will be a paradise, following the thousand-year reign of Christ. There won’t be any more suffering, crying, or passing away (Revelation 21:4).
While it may feel like a long time from now until we join God in the New Heaven and New Earth, God has no concept of time. These coming eschatological events are propelled by the rapture.
In the New Heaven and New Earth, where there will only be smiles, joy, and love, we will be living with God once the rapture takes place.
We must share the reality of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection in order to further the spread of the gospel as we anxiously await the day of the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:1-4: John 3:16-17).
Most Christians would agree with the following interpretation of the Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats:
The Second and Final Judgment—When speaking of this second and final judgment, Our Lord exhibits no signs of nationalism. Only religious considerations are used to determine the judgment through which the kingdom of the Son is purified before becoming the kingdom of the Father. The Son of Man properly judges man, and the verdict is final. The “sheep” are a fitting representation of the devoted followers of Christ the shepherd in John 10:3, 4, and John 27 because of their submissive demeanor and docility.
They are distinguished from the “goats” (Ezekiel 34:17), untrustworthy in appearance and unyielding in character, making them an appropriate choice for their wicked counterpart. More succinctly than the invitation of the just, the sentence of the wicked is a harsh one.
As opposed to “Come!
Depart! Everlasting fire is used in place of the Kingdom. — Jones, A. (1953). Matthew’s version of the Jesus Christ Gospel. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, edited by B. Orchard and E. F. Sutcliffe.
THE AFOREMENTIONED UNDERSTANDING IS FALSE.
Not after the 1000-year millennial Kingdom, but at Christ’s second coming, the Sheep and Goats are judged. Additionally, there is no resurrection in Matthew 25:31–46, in contrast to Judgment Day, when the dead are raised from the Sea, Death, and Hades Revelation 20:11–15.
The Sheep are also ineligible to be Christians because the Judgment takes place while they are serving as Kings and Priests alongside Christ and His angels. These my brethren were “gathered” 2 Thessalonians 2:1 from the earth during Christ’s appearing in glory Matthew 25:40; Romans 8:29.
As Kings and Priests, they rule alongside Christ Rev. 1:6; 20:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; Mat. 24:29-31; Rev. 14:14-16. They “have passed from death into life,” not “come into judgment,” because they trusted Christ when they were still living John 5:24. ALSO READ PRAYER OF SINNER
They have the right to judge the unsaved with Christ because they are the “firstborn among many brethren” Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:3; Rev. 20:4. Romans 8:29.
The Goats and the Sheep both recognize Christ and address Him as LORD; they also know His disciples, but they have not joined them in the Faith. According to King Jesus, if they accepted His disciples Matthew 12:40, they had already accepted Him. In accordance with Matthew 10:42 and Mark 9:41, those who supported His brethren during the Great Tribulation would get entrance into God’s Kingdom as their reward:
31 “The Son of Man will sit on the throne of His glory when He appears in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him.
32 “All the peoples of the earth will come before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from his goats.
33 “And He will place the goats on His left, but the sheep on His right.
34 “The King will then address those standing at His right hand, saying, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of time.The King will then address those standing at His right hand, saying, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of time.
35 “because I was a stranger and you brought Me in; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink.
36 “When I was unclothed, you clothed Me; when I was ill, you visited Me; when I was in jail, you visited Me.
37 “When the Lord asks them, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? “, the righteous will respond, “‘Then.
38 “When did we take You in as a stranger or clothe You when You were naked?
39 “Or when did we first visit you when we saw you ill or imprisoned?
40 “Then they ask the King for an explanation, he will respond by telling them, “Assuredly, I say to you, insofar as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.
41 “Then He will add, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,” to those on the left hand.
42 “because I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat;
43 “I was a foreigner, and you did not accept Me; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was ill, and I was in prison, and you did not visit Me.”
44 “At that point, they will respond to Him by asking, “Lord, when did we see You naked, sick, hungry, thirsty, a stranger, or in prison and did not minister to You?
45 “After that, He will respond by telling them, “Truly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”
46 “According to Matthew 25:31-46, “And these will depart into eternal torment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The theme of this context is the unsaved in Christendom. Only five of the 10 virgins who knew Christ as “the bridegroom” responded favorably. When the door is closed at the wedding dinner, they do not become Christians. Christ does not recognize the unwise Goats, who are abandoned in the outer darkness (Matthew 25:1-13). Similar to the man’s servants, only those who correctly answer questions are rewarded when he returns.
The evil Goat servant, who obviously didn’t know the Master, is banished into the depths of the night (Matthew 25:14-30). The idea is continued in Christendom, where many people did not fully embrace Christ. Now, these goats and sheep are being assessed. According to Matthew 25:40, those who accepted Christ through their acceptance of His brethren are regarded to have done so; those who did not, He is unaware of, and thus He throws them away.
Peter stated that the house of God will be the first to face judgment (1 Peter 4:17). As a result, when “all the nations” (1484 o ethnos) are gathered before Christ and His angels (Matthew 25:32), they are not referring to “all humanity” on earth; rather, they are referring to “all the people” who heard the gospel of Christ preached (Matthew 24:14; 28:19) and were therefore held accountable for their actions.
In order to reign as kings and priests while they wait for the “New Heavens and New Earth” (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13) eternal kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of time, Christ commands the sheep to enter the same eternal state as all resurrected believers (1 Corinthians 15:51–55). That Kingdom comes following the Millennial Kingdom of Christ (Revelations 21:1).
Therefore, nothing in this article pertains to the remaining members of mankind who avoided Armageddon and the End Times plagues. We can infer from the millennial kingdom’s characteristics that humans who live there belong to one of two groups. Christians are the kings and priests who don’t get married or have kids despite having miraculous bodies like Christ. ALSO READ Inspirational Bible Verses And Encouragement
The unsaved who escaped Armageddon continue in their fleshly bodies and live out the millennial kingdom by getting married and having kids, but they do not age and pass away. Aging has come to an end. Only those who start sinning are banished for all time.
Isaiah 65:18–25 declares
18 But exult and be delighted always in what I create, for I make Jerusalem a joy and her people a rejoicing.
19 “I will be joyful in Jerusalem and in My people; the sound of wailing or sobbing will no longer be heard there.
20 “Thereafter, neither a child born there shall live more than a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the child shall die at the age of one hundred, but the sinner, being at the age of one hundred, shall be condemned.
21 “They will construct homes and live in them; they will plant vineyards and consume the fruit of those vines.
22 “As with trees, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the fruits of their labor. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat.
23 “They won’t put in fruitless labor or bear unruly children since they’ll be descended from the LORD’s blessed, along with their progeny.
24 “I will respond before they call, and while they are still speaking, I will listen, it shall come to pass.
25 “The wolf and the lamb will share a meal, the lion will consume straw like an ox, and the serpent will consume dust. In all of My sacred mountain, they shall not harm nor destroy, declares the LORD.
The idea that Christians will be evangelized during the Millennial Kingdom is preposterous. For the survivors of Armageddon who are not saved, Christians evangelize. God obviously desired to provide everyone the opportunity to turn from their sin and receive the gospel. Satan was released from his prison at the end of the millennium in order to deceive the earth once more and cause it to revolt against God. All of his followers are referred to as “Gog and Magog.”
4 “Then I saw thrones where people were seated and who were given the task of passing judgment. Then I saw the souls of people who had been executed for speaking out about Jesus and the Bible, for refusing to worship the beast or his image, and for not having his mark placed on their hands or foreheads. And they had a thousand-year reign with Christ.
5 “However, the remaining deceased did not come to life again before the thousand-year period was over. The first resurrection has occurred.
6 “He who participates in the first resurrection is blessed and holy. They will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will rule alongside Him for a thousand years. Over such, the second death has no power.
7 “When the millennium is over, Satan will be freed from his confinement.
8 “And will go out to trick the Gog and Magog nations—whose numbers are as great as the sand of the sea—in order to congregate them for conflict.
9 “They ascended to the heights of the land and encircled the Christians’ camp and the cherished city. And fire descended from God in the sky and ate them up.
10 “The beast and the false prophet are both in the lake of fire and brimstone where the devil, who tricked them, was put. And they will endure unending suffering day and night. In Revelation 20:4-10
In every nation on earth, “Gog and Magog” represent the adversaries of God and His people. The use of symbolic language illustrates the tremendous odds that were against God’s “camp” in order to highlight God’s favoring of the righteous in winning. The mountains and valleys that surround Jerusalem would be considered “the breadth of the earth,” notwithstanding the overwhelming number of enemies. The people of the planet could not fit. Consequently, this does not imply that all of earth’s inhabitants revolted against God.
A few hundred thousand soldiers encircling Jerusalem could be compared to “the sand of the sea” in terms of size (2 Samuel 17:11; 1 Kings 4:20; Romans 9:27). If we extrapolate from the comparison between good and wicked angels in Revelations 12:4, then roughly 33% of people on Earth would be “Gog and Magog.” The majority of people will be living in holiness in Christ’s millennial kingdom, adoring life with God.
All those who have died without Christ since the creation of the world hear the gospel preached while in the grave, and those who obey it will rise to a resurrection of life during the Great White Throne Judgment that takes place at the end of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom. Not only are billions of people alive at the time of Christ’s coming ultimately saved and so never perish.
In contrast to “Sentencing Day,” it is termed “Judgment Day” because the deceased are JUDGED based on their actions up until that point (Revelations 20:12-13).
Scriptures that presuppose, imply, or expressly say that repentance in Hell is required:
said, “I called out to the LORD because of my sorrow, and he heard me. I screamed out from the pit of hell, and thou heardest my voice.” (Jonah 2:2 ) [Analogy is difficult when referring to nonexistent objects. Jonah therefore thought it was possible to be saved from hell, and he compared his experience to it. The parallel implies that Jonah thought it was possible to be saved from hell.]
From the deepest hole, I cried out in the name of the LORD (0953 bowr). NKJ (Lam. 3:55)
1 I patiently awaited the LORD, and when I cried out, he heard me.
2 He planted my feet on a rock and established my goings after pulling me out of a terrible pit (0953 bowr) and out of the slimy dirt.
3 And he has given me a new song to sing, one of praise to our God, which will cause many people to be afraid and put their trust in the LORD as a result (Psalms 40:1-3)
As for you, I have rescued your prisoners from the dry pit (0953 bowr) by using the blood of your covenant. Compare Luke 16:24 to Zechariah 9:11
FINAL NOTES
In both John 5:24 and John 5:28, Jesus used the same sentence, “Hear my voice.” It refers to obedient hearing in the context of John 5:24. Those who follow His instructions will live. The context is the same as John 5:28, and the line repeats with the same meaning:
The hour is approaching and it is now for the dead to hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live, I assure you in all sincerity. (John 5:24)
Do not be alarmed by this; for the hour is coming when all those who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28-29)
In a same way, people in the grave who obey Jesus’ voice will experience the resurrection of life, as will the spiritually dead yet physically living who do the same.
Some people argue that it is impossible to “do good” in Hades and neglect both the context and the aorist active tense; nonetheless, “practicing good” is a brief action that takes place after “hearing Christ’s voice.”
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