What The Bible Says About The Rapture
(Text: I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
By: Barry L. Cameron
* First of all, the word “RAPTURE” is not found anywhere in the Bible although the event clearly is.
- But don’t let that be a stumbling block to you.
- There are other words not found in the Bible and that doesn’t negate their validity.
Examples: Holy Bible, Trinity, Discipleship, Church Membership, etc.
* We have to be careful we don’t base our beliefs on whether or not something is mentioned specifically by name.
* The term “RAPTURE” comes from the Latin word “RAPERE” meaning “to catch away” or “to snatch away.”
- The moment the church is “snatched” from the earth, or caught away, is referred to as the “RAPTURE.”
When Does The RAPTURE Take Place?
* At the end of the Church Age and just prior to the Tribulation Period.
- There are four passages that deal with the subject of the RAPTURE: John 14:1-3; I Thessalonians 4;13-18; I Corinthians 15:51-53; and Revelation 4:1.
Let’s examine each of those passages carefully:
(1) JOHN 14:1-3.
- The disciples were sure that Jesus was the Messiah, but they thought He was going to establish an earthly kingdom.
- They had no concept of a Messiah Who was on earth for a while and then, went back to Heaven.
- Consequently, at the thought of His leaving they were deeply troubled.
So, Jesus encouraged them by telling them about His Father’s House.
How Big Is God’s House?
* Revelation 21:16 tells us that it is 1500 miles cubed. (That’s length, breadth and height.)
- Just taking the length and breadth measurements, we discover that God’s house is 2,225,000 square miles. (The city of London is only 140 square miles.)
- One architect said that 2,225,000 square miles could easily and comfortably house 100 billion people. (There are only 6 billion people on planet earth right now and Matthew 7:14 says that “only a few” people are going to get in.
Verse 3 is a “key” to understanding this is a reference to the RAPTURE. Jesus is coming back personally to get the church.
How Can We Be Sure This Refers To The RAPTURE And Not To The SECOND COMING?
* There is a great contrast between John 14 and Christ’s coming at the end of the Tribulation Period.
- Seven years after the RAPTURE, at the completion of the Tribulation, when Jesus comes to earth, nobody goes to Heaven—everybody in Heaven comes to earth. (Revelation 19:11-21)
- John 14:1-3. The believers are taken out of the world to the Father’s House.
- At the Second Coming, the saints return to earth with Christ to reign with Him on the earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-6).
- In John 14:1-3, Jesus announces an entirely different hope than that which was promised to Israel. The promise to Israel was a kingdom on earth. The promise to the church is to be taken out of the world to the Father’s House. (This happens at the RAPTURE.)
(2) I THESSALONIANS 4:13-18.
- This young church was obsessed with two things:
(a) They had a tremendous love for each other (vs. 9-10)
(b) They were anxiously awaiting the rapture (1:10)
* In many ways they were a model church.
Two Things Happened:
1. People started dying.
2. They began to worry that the dead people would miss the RAPTURE.
* So, Paul wrote to them to straighten out this problem. Verse 15 is Paul’s direct answer.
- Verse 14 tells us that when Jesus comes in the RAPTURE, He’s going to bring with Him the spirits of those believers who have already died and have not yet received their glorified bodies.
What About The Old Testament Saints?
- Verse 16 says “the dead in Christ shall rise first.”
- The Old Testament saints' bodies aren’t raised until after the Tribulation (Daniel 12:1-2).
- Ephesians 4:8. The Old Testament spirits are in Heaven, but not their bodies.
* They receive their glorified bodies at the close of the Tribulation and then they all return with us, and Jesus, at the Second Coming when Jesus establishes His kingdom on earth and reigns for 1,000 years.
(3) I CORINTHIANS 15:51-53.
- The term “mystery” is used 27 times in the New Testament. Every time it is used, it refers to something hidden in the Old Testament, which is revealed in the New Testament.
- The “mystery” here is the fact that some believers will be taken to Heaven without dying. (See I Corinthians 15:51).
- Verse 53. We will get new, glorified bodies.
What Was Jesus’ Glorified Body Like?
a. It was SPIRITUAL. (Not confined by natural laws.)
1. He could appear and disappear (Luke 24:31, 16)
2. He could go through walls (John 20:19, 26)
b. It was PHYSICAL.
1. He could eat fish and honeycomb (Luke 24:4-43)
2. He could show the disciples the scars in His hands and feet (Luke 24:39-40) c. It was POWERFUL.
He stood on a mountain and just took off into the heavens (Acts 1:9-11)
d. It was GLORIFIED.
He could transport Himself by a thought (Luke 24:31)
e. It was INCORRUPTIBLE.
He will come back in the same body that He left in almost 2,000 years ago (Acts 1:11)
(4) REVELATION 4:1.
- The churches which have been a part of the book of Revelation since chapter 1, disappear in chapter 4.
- The next time we see the church is in Revelation 19, when Jesus returns to establish His millennial reign.
- “After this . . .” (Revelation 4:1) is a clear indication that an event of some kind has just taken place.
- Revelation 4 is a picture, type and symbol of the ascension of God’s people.
- The “door” opens wide to receive God’s children from the earth.
Revelation 4:1. The word “trumpet” used here is like the announcement in I Thessalonians 4:16.
* From then on, up until Revelation 19, is a description of those terrible events when God’s people have been removed from the earth and God pours out His judgment on the world.
One final thought . . .
* One of the keys to understanding the RAPTURE and how it fits into God’s scheme of history is to look to the words of Jesus.
- In Matthew 24, Jesus is describing what it will be like in the end times.
- In verse 37, Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
- Before the judgment came, God provided a way out for the righteous.
* What will happen in the end times . . . “As it was in the days of Noah” . . . God will provide a way out for His church; it’s called the RAPTURE.
