The Church Will Be Raptured
The rapture is that glorious event in which the dead in Christ will be resurrected, living Christians will be instantly translated into their resurrection bodies, and both groups will be caught up to meet Christ in the air and taken back to heaven (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). This means that one generation of Christians will never pass through death’s door. They will be alive on earth in their mortal bodies, and suddenly, in an instant, they will be with Christ in their immortal bodies. What a moment that will be!
The Bible offers several clues that the rapture will take place prior to the tribulation period. This means the church will not go through the judgments prophesied in Revelation 4–18. This view seems to be most consistent with a literal interpretation of biblical prophecy.
In Revelation 3:10, for example, Jesus promises the church in Philadelphia, “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Notice the definite article (the) before the word hour in this verse. This indicates that a specific and distinctive time period is in view, not just any “hour of trial” in church history. The context clearly points to the future seven-year tribulation, which is described in detail in Revelation 6–19. This is the hour of trial from which the church is to be kept.
This verse reveals that the church saints will be kept from the actual hour of testing, not just the testing itself. If the Lord meant to communicate that He would preserve them in the midst of the testing itself, He would have omitted the words the hour and simply said, “I will keep you from the testing.”
The Greek text supports this view. The Greek preposition ek (translated from) carries the idea of separation from something. This means that believers will be kept from the hour of testing in the sense that they will be completely separated from it by being raptured before the period even begins. Renald Showers comments on this in his book Maranatha: Our Lord Come!
The language in Jesus’ reference to this future period of worldwide testing implied that it was well-known to the church saints. It was well-known because both Old and New Testament Scriptures, written years before Revelation, foretold this unique, future period of testing or Tribulation, which would take place prior to the coming of the Messiah to rule the world in the Messianic Age or Millennium (Isa. 2:10-21; Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:14-18; Mt. 24:4-31).
Notice that Revelation 3:10 promises only that church saints will be kept out of this hour of trial coming upon the entire earth. Those who become believers during the hour of the trial itself (those we might call tribulation saints) will go through the tribulation. Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains this in his book The Footsteps of the Messiah.
Throughout the Tribulation, saints are being killed on a massive scale (Rev. 6:9-11; 11:7; 12:11; 13:7, 15; 14:13; 17:6; 18:24). If these saints are Church saints, they are not being kept safe and Revelation 3:10 is meaningless. Only if Church saints and Tribulation saints are kept distinct does the promise of Revelation 3:10 make any sense?
In keeping with the idea that the church will be raptured before this time of tribulation begins, no Old Testament passage on the tribulation mentions the church (Deuteronomy 4:29-30; Jeremiah 30:4-11; Daniel 8:24-27; 12:1-2). Likewise, no New Testament passage on the tribulation mentions the church (Matthew 13:30,39-42,48-50; 24:15-31; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:4-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11; Revelation 4–18). The church’s complete absence would seem to indicate that it is not on earth during the tribulation.
Further, a pretribulational rapture best explains the massive apostasy that engulfs the world following the removal of “the restrainer”—apparently the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7). The Holy Spirit indwells all believers (John 14:16; 1 Corinthians 3:17), so He will essentially be removed when the church is raptured, thus making possible the eruption of apostasy.
Still further, Scripture assures us that the church is not appointed to wrath (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). This means the church cannot go through the great day of wrath—the tribulation period (Revelation 6:17; 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1).
First Thessalonians 1:9 explicitly states that Jesus “delivers us from the wrath to come.” The Greek word translated delivers means “to draw or snatch out to oneself, to rescue, to save, to preserve.” Indeed, Greek scholar Marvin Vincent, author of Word Studies in the New Testament, says the verb literally means “to draw to one’s self” and almost invariably refers to deliverance from some evil or danger or enemy.3 This clearly seems to be referring to the rapture of the church prior to the beginning of the tribulation period.
In fact, this definition of the Greek word in 1 Thessalonians 1:9 reminds us of the description of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
The phrase “caught up” here literally means “snatched up or taken away.” Moreover, the Greek preposition ek (“from”) is used in this verse, just as it is used in Revelation 3:10. As we have seen, the term carries the idea of “separation from.” Believers will be delivered from this wrath by being completely separated from it, which requires the rapture.
Throughout Scripture, God protects His people before judgment falls (see 2 Peter 2:5-9). Enoch was transferred to heaven before the judgment of the flood. Noah and his family were in the ark before the floodgates were opened. Lot was taken out of Sodom before judgment was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah. The firstborn among the Hebrews in Egypt were sheltered by the blood of the Paschal lamb before judgment fell. The spies were safely out of Jericho and Rahab was secured before judgment fell on Jericho. So too will the church be secured safely (by means of the rapture) before judgment falls in the tribulation period.
We find parallels between the apostle Paul’s description of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and his words in 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11: “[Christ] died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Note these similarities:
1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-18
- the dead in Christ
- we who are alive
Encourage one another with these words.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:10-11
- asleep
- awake
Encourage one another and build one another up.
We can thus infer that both passages refer to the rapture. There are also parallels between 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Jesus’s description of the rapture in John 14:2-3. For example:
• John 14:3 depicts Jesus descending from heaven to earth. Likewise, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says Christ “will descend from heaven.”
• In John 14:3 Jesus says to believers, “I will come again and will take you to myself.” First Thessalonians 4:17 reveals the believers will be “caught up” to Christ.
• In John 14:3, Jesus promises, “I will…take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also.” First Thessalonians 4:17 affirms that believers “will always be with the Lord.”
• Jesus shares His words in John 14:1 so that His followers’ hearts will not be troubled. Likewise, Paul shares the information in 1 Thessalonians 4:13,18 to minimize grief and bring encouragement.
These similarities make clear that both passages are referring to the same event—the rapture of the church. The scriptural evidence reveals that it takes place prior to the tribulation.
This is confirmed in the fact that the rapture involves Christ coming for His saints in the air prior to the tribulation, whereas at the second coming He will come with His saints to the earth to reign for a thousand years (Revelation 19; 20:1-6). The fact that Christ comes with His holy ones (redeemed believers) at the second coming presumes they have been previously raptured. (He cannot come with them until He has first come for them.)
The Rapture—a Mystery
A mystery, in the biblical sense, is a truth that cannot be discerned simply by human investigation, but rather requires special revelation from God. Generally, this word refers to a truth that was unknown to people living in Old Testament times but was revealed to humankind by God during Jesus’s and the apostles’ ministries (Matthew 13:17; Colossians 1:26). This is illustrated in a key verse about the rapture of the church.
Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:51-55).
The rapture of the church is a mystery because it had never been revealed in Old Testament times. It was revealed for the first time in the New Testament.
The Twinkling of an Eye
In 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 the apostle Paul describes the rapture as occurring “in the twinkling of an eye.” This phrase is Paul’s way of demonstrating how brief the moment of the rapture will be. The fluttering of an eyelid, the blinking of an eye, is exceedingly fast.
This means the bodily transformation that living believers will experience at the rapture will be nearly instantaneous. One moment they will be on earth in mortal bodies, and the next moment they will meet Christ in the clouds, instantly transformed into their glorified resurrection bodies.
The Voice of an Archangel
The apostle Paul tells us that the rapture of the church will follow “a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Scholars debate what is meant by this phrase. Some suggest that perhaps Jesus will issue the shout with an archangel-like voice. However, it seems more natural to the text to interpret this shout as actually coming from the voice of the archangel himself.
Scripture reveals that at the second coming, the Lord Jesus shall be “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:7). If the angels accompany Christ at the second coming, surely the archangel Michael will be included. And if the angels accompany Jesus at the second coming, there is no reason to assume they will not also accompany Him seven years earlier at the rapture. After all, angels are often portrayed as being heavily involved in end-time events (see Revelation 5:11; 7:1-2,11; 8:2,4,6; 9:14-15; 10:10; 12:7,9; 14:10; 15:1,6-8; 16:1; 17:1; 21:9,12).
The Bridegroom and His Bride
Scripture portrays Christ as the bridegroom (John 3:29) and the church as His bride (Revelation 19:7). The backdrop to this imagery is rooted in Hebrew weddings, which had three phases. First, the marriage was legally consummated by the parents of the bride and groom, after which the groom went to prepare a place to live in his father’s house. Next, the bridegroom came to claim his bride. Finally, there was a marriage supper, which could last several days. All three of these phases are seen in Christ’s relationship to the church, the bride of Christ.
1. As individuals living during the church age come to salvation, under the Father’s loving and sovereign hand, they become a part of the bride of Christ (the church). Meanwhile, Christ, the Bridegroom, is in heaven, preparing a place for the bride of Christ to live in His Father’s house.
2. The Bridegroom (Jesus Christ) comes to claim His bride (at the rapture) and take her to heaven, where He has prepared a place for her (John 14:1-3). The actual marriage takes place in heaven prior to the second coming (Revelation 19:6-16).
3. The marriage supper of the Lamb will follow the second coming, apparently taking place during a 75-day interim period between the second coming of Christ and the beginning of the millennial kingdom (see Daniel 12:11; compare with Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13). (More on this interim period later in the book.)
We can see other parallels as well. Just as ancient Jewish grooms paid a purchase price to establish the marriage covenant, so Jesus paid a purchase price for the church (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Also, just as a Jewish bride was declared sanctified or set apart in waiting for her groom, so the church is declared sanctified and set apart for Christ the Bridegroom (Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11; Hebrews 10:10; 13:12). And just as a Jewish bride was unaware of the exact time her groom would come for her, so the church is unaware of the exact time that Jesus the Bridegroom will come, though it is an imminent event.
The Blessed Hope
The term “blessed hope” in Scripture is a general reference to the rapture of the church. This event is blessed in the sense that it brings blessedness to believers. The term carries the idea of joyous anticipation. Believers can hardly wait for it to happen!
We read of this in Titus 2:13, where Paul says we Christians are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” At this momentous event, the dead in Christ will be resurrected and believers still alive on earth will be instantly translated into their resurrection bodies (Romans 8:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 3:2-3). These bodies will never again be subject to sickness, pain, and death. As we continue to pass through this fallen world as pilgrims, we are empowered by this magnificent hope.
The Rapture Is Imminent
The term imminent literally means “ready to take place” or “impending.” The New Testament teaches that the rapture is imminent—that is, nothing must be prophetically fulfilled before the rapture can occur (see 1 Corinthians 1:7; 16:22; Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:13; Jude 21). The rapture is a signless event that can occur at any moment. This is in contrast to the second coming of Christ, which is preceded by many events that transpire during the seven-year tribulation period (see Revelation 4–18).
The imminence of the rapture is certainly implied in the apostle Paul’s words in Romans 13:11-12: “You know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” The word salvation in this context must be eschatological, referring to the rapture, for Paul describes it as a specific future event. At the end of each day, the Christian is that much closer to the rapture.
The imminence of the rapture is also implied in James 5:7-9.
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Scripture does say some believers will be alive during the tribulation period (for example, Revelation 6:9-11). But these people become believers sometime after the rapture. Perhaps they become convinced of the truth of Christianity after witnessing millions of Christians supernaturally vanish off the planet at the rapture. Or perhaps they become believers as a result of the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists introduced in Revelation 7 (who themselves come to faith in Christ after the rapture). Or they may have become believers as a result of the miraculous ministry of the two witnesses of Revelation 11, prophets who apparently have the same powers as Moses and Elijah. As well, Christian literature will be left behind after the rapture, and many may come to faith after reading such books.
The imminent coming of Christ at the rapture should have an incredible practical effect on the lives of individual Christians and the church as a whole.
The fact that the glorified, holy Son of God could step through the door of heaven at any moment is intended by God to be the most pressing, incessant motivation for holy living and aggressive ministry (including missions, evangelism, and Bible teaching) and the greatest cure for lethargy and apathy. It should make a difference in every Christian’s values, actions, priorities, and goals.4
Rhodes, R. (2012). The end times in chronological order: a complete overview to understanding bible prophecy. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers.
