Many are the voices that oppose the teaching of what the Church of Christ knows as “The Rapture” or the “Great Snatch”, in the same way as they oppose the healing and prosperity that Jesus gave us in the Cross, or speaking in tongues, or the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or anything that their unbelief does not allow them to receive.
Nevertheless, it is important that the believer knows the truth about this glorious event, reserved exclusively for the Sons (and Daughters) of God – born again believers, so that we do not lose our blessed hope , which will keep us purified until this happens. (1 John 3:2-3)
Let’s see what the Bible says about this event:
The “Rapture of the Church” is the salvation of our physical body – our transformation into glorified bodies, similar to Jesus’ body after He resurrected from the death.
The word “rapture” is based on the Hebrew word laqach, which means, “to be removed”, taken away, seized, or suddenly snatched from the earth, just like Enoch was:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Gen. 5:24
It is no coincidence that one of the meanings of this word is also used for “taken as a wife” (Strong’s H 3947)
There was another person who was “seized” or “snatched” in chariots of fire, Elijah (2 Kings 2:11)
Regarding Elijah, by the way, let’s remember that he appeared next to Jesus, on the opposite side of Moses, during the transfiguration (Matt 17:1–8: Mar 9:2–8; Luk 9:28–36) This happened after 6 days that Jesus said:
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” (Mat 16:28 Mart. 9:1; Luk. 9:27)
If a day is like 1000 years for God (2 Pet. 3:8), assuming that these 6 days represented 6000 years, maybe Jesus was painting a prophetic picture through Elijah about those who will not taste death in our generation, and through Moses, about those who already sleep in His presence and who will be lifted up with those who remain. For some reason the body of Moses has never been found.
The Lord Jesus himself mentioned this event to his Jewish brothers (Lu. 24:17-36, and Matt. 24:32-44); while talking to them about His Second Coming; however, The Rapture is not the Second Coming of our Lord, but it is simply the most imminent sign that Christ will return a few years later.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Mat. 24:40-41
These words bear witness with what Jesus mentioned in the Parable of the 10 Virgins, where five of them (the number of Grace) left with their Groom and the other five were “left behind”; this parable is only found in the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of the Kingdom, because it is particular to the Jewish Nation, and it suggests that by the time the Lord Jesus meets His Bride in the air, half of the Jewish people will believe in Jesus as their Messiah.
The scripture is clear for those who know how to divide it by “Covenants”. The New Covenant, known as the Covenant of Grace, began when the Holy Spirit fell on those who were eagerly waiting for Him at the “Upper Room” at Mt. Zion, and the Scripture indicates that the end of this “Age of Grace” may culminate with the removal of those who are eagerly waiting for Him (Heb. 9:28), so that we do not partake of “the year of vengeance” (Is. 34:8) This way, the Holy Spirit will remove Himself from the earth, so that “the son of perdition” be revealed (2 Tess. 2:3).
The scriptures about The Rapture may not have been given to Jews as clearly as to gentiles, and there may be a reason for that. As a background, when the New Covenant began, the gentiles (non-Jewish people) didn’t know anything about such Covenant, or that there was even an Old Covenant; there were also divisions among the Jews who believed in Jesus as their Messiah, and those who refused to believe, because their leaders restrained the truth.
The 11 Apostles who walked with Jesus (without Judas, who killed himself), were sent to those believing Israelites, while Paul was sent to take the Good News of this New Covenant to us gentiles, after he received the full revelation of this Gospel of Grace directly from the Resurrected Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus knew that most of the Jews would not believe in Him when The Rapture occurs; this may be the reason why only in Paul’s epistles we can find this event in detail, because it is only for believers.
Paul spoke openly to the church about this event:
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Cor. 15:51-53
1 Tes. 4:13-18 describes it in detail,
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Which are the requirements in this scripture to qualify for the rapture?
1. To Believe in Jesus as a Savior
2. Remain alive or having believed in Christ before we died.
But who is the believer, if the devil also believes and even trembles when he hears about Jesus? (James 2:19)
The believer is whoever believes the Gospel of Grace, this means, whoever, receives the righteousness of Christ as a gift of Grace through faith, while Jesus takes our unrighteousness to the Cross. This faith causes us to be born in our spirit as “sons (or daughters) of God”, sealed by His Holy Spirit,
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Eph. 1:13
Paul did not say: “those who remain faithful”, “those who are perfect”, “those who have done enough good works”, “those who have overcome, or died as martyrs”. He said: “those who believe and remain alive or died believing in Christ”. Once having been sealed, we belong to Christ, and we are in Christ sealed forever. (Eph. 4:30)
When we finally see our Groom in the clouds, after the last trumpet, in an instant we will be like Him. This blessed hope purifies us; it gives us rest and fills us with expectation, and it will help us get rid of any fear about the things that are already lining up, in front of our eyes. This is why the devil has stolen this hope from many, so he can lead people to their destruction through fear and unbelief.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
1 John 3:2-3
And you, beloved reader, have you believed the Gospel of Grace?
The Year of Vengeance is not here yet. We are still in the “Acceptable Year of the Lord”, and Jesus is waiting for you! He will hear you if you ask Him to come into your life and save you. You can ask Him “Lord Jesus, help me in my unbelief, I want to know you, show yourself to me. Save me”. He will hear the cry of your heart.
Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved!
(Joel 2:32, Rom. 10:13, Acts 2:21)
Shalom.
