THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

The church is the spiritual body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 1:22-23), made up of all those who put their faith in Christ (Gal. 3:26-28) during the period from Pentecost to the Rapture of the Church. The saved of other ages are called believers, or saints of God, but they are not part of the church.

In I Corinthians 15:51-53 the Apostle Paul uses a word that has a special, theological meaning. He calls the truths he is about to share a “mystery.” This word means: a sacred secret, previously unknown, but now at last revealed. What is to happen to the church was unknown and unforeseen by the Old Testament prophets because the Church Age itself was a “mystery” (Eph. 3:1-7).

When Christ rose from the dead, He was the same Person. His body even had the marks of His crucifixion upon it. And yet it was a transformed body, a “glorified body.” The Bible promises that when the Lord returns He will “transform our mortal body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21). These will be never-aging, never-dying bodies fitted for the eternal kingdom.

In Latin, the phrase “caught up” is rapturo, which gives us the word rapture. This event is commonly called “the Rapture of the Church,” when the living saints will be snatched away into the presence of the Lord. The Rapture of the Church will happen instantly, quickly, in a twinkling of an eye (I Corinthians 15:51, 52; Philippians 3:20, 21). This Scripture clearly states that all of the involved people will meet the Lord in the air or clouds (I Thessalonians 4:13-17).

The Word of God speaks of the Rapture of the Church as being “imminent,” meaning it could happen at any moment. Only God knows when this event will take place (Mark 13:32). There are no predicted events or signs described in the Bible which must come before the Rapture. It seems clear that Paul was expecting the possibility of the rapture in his own lifetime, since he speaks of “we who are alive...” being caught up. He himself was joyfully waiting for the Saviour (Phil. 3:20), and commends other Christians for watching eagerly for Christ’s coming (I Thess. 1:9-10). James writes that “the coming of the Lord is at hand...behold, the Judge is standing at the door” (Jas. 5:8-9). From these and other such statements we conclude that the catching away of the church could happen at any time. We are to live in continuing expectation of it (Tit. 2:13).

Though some group them together as both pertaining to the Lord’s return, the Rapture and the Second Coming Christ are distinctly different events, separated by seven years. The Rapture of the Church is not the Second Coming of Christ. The Rapture of the Church will be a surprise to many people. Only the true believers will partake of the rapture. At the Second Coming of Christ every eye will see Him.

In the Bible the Rapture of the Church is always referred to as the “coming of the Lord” or “the days of the Son of Man” or “the revelation of the Son of Man” but never the “Second Coming of Christ”. The Rapture of the Church is purely a New Testament doctrine and was first revealed to Paul, while the 'Second Coming of Christ' with the saints, to come and live on earth, is not only a New Testament doctrine, but is one of the chief themes of the Old Testament. The Old Testament prophets never saw the New Testament Church, much less the Rapture of the Church.

Here are a few basic differences between the two:

a. The Rapture is imminent (meaning it can happen at any moment), with no predicted signs needed first. But the Second Coming follows a time of “great tribulation” on the earth, with many signs which must be fulfilled first.

b. At the Rapture, Christ comes in the air for His church. But at the Second Coming Christ comes to the earth with His church.

c. Christ’s purpose in the rapture is to claim and reward His bride (the church). Christ’s purpose at His second coming is to reward the believing remnant of Israel and set up His earthly kingdom.

d. At the Rapture, Christ will be invisible to the unsaved of earth. At His second coming, “every eye shall see Him.”

e. Following the Rapture, Christ will reward His church at His Judgment Seat (Bema). Following His second coming, Christ will judge the nations for their treatment of the Jews, and then bless believing Israel in her Land.

f. The Rapture is a “mystery” unknown and unforeseen in Old Testament times. The Second Coming of Christ to reign is taught extensively in the Old Testament.

The purpose of the Rapture is for Christ to come for the saints before the Great Tribulation (I Thessalonians 4:13 – 17). Christ must come for His saints before He can come back with them. At the Second Coming, Christ comes back with the saints after the Great Tribulation to live and reign on the earth for a thousand years (Jude 14 and Revelation 20:6). Christ has to resurrect the dead 'in Him' from among the wicked dead in their graves to receive their rewards with those who are alive and all will be changed from mortality to immortality, 1 Corinthians 15:51; II Corinthians 5:1 - 10.

The Rapture will have a devastating effect on the world. Just think of what will happen in this world when all the believers are raptured all of a sudden. We read in the Book of Revelation 4:1 about the Rapture of the Church. Revelation chapter 1 to chapter 3 is about the Church here on earth. Revelation chapter 4 starts off with the Rapture of the Church, and then up to chapter 19 is what is going to happen here on earth. Chapter 19 is about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and up to chapter 22 is about God's final dealings and the New Heaven.

Matthew chapter 25 is not referring to the Rapture of the Church. However, Matthew chapter 24 is referring to the Rapture of the Church and the Jews who will go through the great tribulation because they did not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Luke 17:22–37 is a prophecy on the Battle of Armageddon.

After the Rapture has taken place the true believers will receive their rewards in heaven and will then have a part in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This time will last approximately 7 years. During this time the Great Tribulation will be taking place simultaneously on earth. Then the Second Coming of the Lord with all his saints will take place and the Battle of Armageddon will take place on earth. Satan and all his followers will be bound for a thousand years and during this time there will be peace on earth. After the thousand years Satan will be released and then God will defeat Satan and his followers and throw Satan and every person whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of life in the lake of fire for ever. After this the existing world will be destroyed by fire and a New Heaven and a New Earth will come down from heaven and all the believers and saints will live there forever as God had planned in the beginning.