The Rapture of the Church

The “Rapture” is a term that derives from the ancient Greek word ‘harpazo’ and refers to the “snatching up” of Christians, also known as the church or the Bride of Christ. This is when Jesus calls forth believers, both alive and dead (the dead will be bodily resurrected first) to take them to the heavenly realm. It could happen at any moment, since all prophetic events pertaining to it have been fulfilled.

There are three “sub-beliefs” which go along with the Rapture concerning when it might actually occur. Some believe it must occur before the “Tribulation” (see below); others believe during, or at mid-point, of the Tribulation; and some believe it will not happen until after the Tribulation, and is simultaneous with Christ’s Second Coming.

To use an analogy, the Rapture is considered by many to be part of the Second Coming (when Jesus returns to the earth), and simply precedes it as “Act One” of Two Acts.

The “Tribulation”, according to Biblical teaching, is a seven-year period during which the world begins to follow and ultimately worship a coming global leader who promises peace and safety.

About the mid-point of the seven years, the world leader, or “Anti-Christ”, will reveal himself to be controlled by Satan and demand the worship of everyone on earth. According to the Bible, it will be the most terrible and terrifying time in human history, and only Jesus Christ can put a stop to it when He returns to the earth to destroy His enemies in that latter “act” of the Second Coming.

God has always warned His people and provided an escape for the righteous. Examples: Noah and the ark; Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

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. [1Th 4:16-17 ESV].

For further study on this and other end-time topics, visit Eleven Questions You’ve Always Wondered About the End Times. See Number 9 for specific discussion of the Rapture.

Please bear in mind that this is Dr. Jeremiah’s interpretation of the end-times, and every person should read and study the Bible for him/herself. It’s my understanding from much research that most fundamentalist Christian scholars are in general agreement with this interpretation.

Some skeptics maintain that this is a recent teaching and can’t be accurate; however, this doctrine is taught in the New Testament in the verses cited below.

Side Note: Acknowledging that he’s not trying to set a date for the Rapture, Bible scholar, the late Dr. Thomas Horn, speculates that the incoming asteroid Apophis, due for a “close approach” of the earth in early 2029, may actually strike the earth during the mid-Tribulation period as described in the Book of Revelation. If the Rapture is to be pre-Trib, go back three and a half years to late 2025 for the Rapture to occur. Again, Dr. Horn emphasizes he’s not trying to set dates and the Rapture could happen at any time. His book on the subject is entitled “The Messenger”.