Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
December 2024
I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (I Corinthians 15:50-53, 58 NIV)
Today, we come to one of the greatest events in biblical prophecy. It will be the greatest event in the history of the world. Millions will suddenly disappear from the earth. It is called the rapture of the church.
It will be the day when life on earth will change forever. It will begin as a completely ordinary day. It won’t seem any different than any other. Jesus said so. People will get up, get dressed, go to work or go to school.
They will buy gas, go to the grocery store, and feed their family. Some will have their wedding date planned for that day, but everything will change in the blink of an eye. Everything will change in a flash, as Paul says.
Jesus will leave Heaven with an army of saints and angels. He will enter earth’s atmosphere and millions of Christians all over the world will suddenly vanish without a trace.
They will disappear in the middle of a conversation or a phone call. They will disappear in the middle of a meal. Cars will have missing drivers. Planes will have missing pilots, which would lead to total chaos.
Today, we are going to answer four questions. Is the rapture real or is it complete fiction? Are there some myths about the rapture that Christians believe? What does the Bible actually teach about the rapture? What is the practical application of this doctrine to our lives?
Truth of the Rapture
Is the rapture pure fiction? Is it a Christian fairy tale? Is it a myth? The Left Behind books, which have sold eighty million copies, are in a category called Christian Fiction.
There used to be a time when it seemed like everyone in church believed in the rapture. Now the rapture is under attack. Many question it. Some deny it.
Some say the rapture doctrine is recent. They say it is an American invention. The truth is that the rapture doctrine did not begin with Tim LaHaye, who wrote the Left Behind Books.
Paul taught the doctrine of the rapture. He did not come up with it. He said he got it by a word from the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:15). He got it by direct revelation.
Now, Paul did not use the word “rapture,” but he talks about believers being “caught up” or snatched away to meet the Lord in the clouds (I Thessalonians 4:17 NIV). That is the same idea.
The word is not found in the Bible, but the concept is. If you use a Bible concordance, you won’t find the words, “Great Commission” in the Bible, but Jesus gave us the Great Commission in Matthew.
You can read the Bible from cover to cover, and you will not find the words “The Virgin Birth” but the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin.
You won’t see the term “Second Coming” in the Bible, but there is no doubt that Scripture teaches a literal Second Coming. The idea is there. The word came later.
The Greek word for “caught up” in I Thessalonians 4:17 is ἁρπάζω. It is used fourteen times in the NT (Matthew 11:12; 12:29; 13:19; 6:15; 10:12, 28; 8:29; II Corinthians 12:2, 4; I Thessalonians 4:17; Jude 23; Revelation 12:5)
This Greek word means to seize or take by force. In fact, sometimes it is translated that way. Jesus talks about violent men who take the kingdom by force (Matthew 11:12).
He gives the example of a thief who enters someone’s house and plunders the house, taking possessions by force (Matthew 12:29).
Some of Jesus’ followers wanted to come and make him king by force (John 6:15) and that is the same word.
In the Book of Acts, Paul was taken by force by Roman troops for his own protections, so a mob did not kill him (Acts 23:10).
Misconceptions about the Rapture
The rapture is definitely a real event. It is biblical. It will be spectacular. It is happening soon but there are some misconceptions about the rapture.
Do you believe any of those myths? Not everything that you have heard about the rapture is necessarily true. There are myths about the rapture that some Christians believe.
There were some in Paul’s day. Some of the Corinthians believed that loved ones who died would somehow miss out on the Second Coming because they will not be alive to see it.
Paul said that they are not going to miss out. They are actually going to go first. They will get a front row seat to this event. The dead will be raised first. There are some myths going around.
Three Errors Regarding the Rapture1) Date Setting Throughout history, different people have tried to predict when Jesus will come back. Every time they made a prediction, they were proven wrong. William Miller, who was a Seventh Day Adventist PREACHER, predicted that Jesus would come back in 1844. Based on his reading of the Book of Daniel, he believed that Jesus would come back on October 22, 1844. His followers were disappointed. They looked like fools. Some had given up everything. Many others have made the same mistake. About forty years ago, a man wrote a book entitled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture will be in 1988. The book sold four and half million copies. The author made a lot of money. He said that even though Jesus said that no one can know the day or the hour of his return, we can still know the month or the year. He said that the rapture would be between September 11-13 in 1988, but Jesus did not come in 1988. Jesus was right when He said that no one knows the day. In fact, he said, Jesus said that even the angels don’t know when it will take place (Mark 13:31). There are six verses in the Bible which specifically prohibit setting a date for Jesus’ return. There is not one or two. There are six (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44; 25:13; Acts 1:7; I Thessalonians 5:1-2). 2) The Secret Rapture This is a common view of the rapture held by many Christians. Most today view the rapture as a secret event. Millions of people mysteriously disappear. They are gone and no one knows where they went. They will vanish without their clothes, their shoes, wallet and cell phone. The rapture is secret and silent. The problem is that the Bible describes the rapture as a public and loud event. It does not teach an invisible coming. It says that when He returns, He will come with the clouds and every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). Jesus said that people will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30 NIV). It will not be silent. There will be a lot of sounds associated with this coming. Paul mentions three distinct sounds that will happen at the time of the rapture in I Thessalonians 4. He mentions a loud shout. It will be the shout heard around the world. He mentions the voice of an archangel and he mentions the blowing of a trumpet. This event will be both visible and audible. 3) Source of Division For many the rapture is not a source a comfort and encouragement, but a source of argument and debate. It is a source of division. Instead of being thankful for the FACT of the rapture, we fight with other Christians about the TIMING of the rapture. We argue about when it will happen. Preachers give twenty reasons why the rapture will take place before the Tribulation. Other preachers give many reasons why it will happen in the middle of the Tribulation, while others give ten reasons why it will happen after the Tribulation is over. They miss the whole point. Paul talks about the rapture in one primary passage and does not even address that question. That is the one question that preachers spend all of their time on today. Why didn’t Paul talk about it? His goal was not to answer all of our prophecy questions but to comfort those who are grieving and lost loved ones. He was writing as a pastor, not a theologian. It is not wrong to hold a viewpoint on when the rapture takes place but exactly when it takes place should not be our focus and it never be a test of fellowship. It should never be a source of division among Christians. In some places, you can’t join or serve in the church, unless you agree on every minor detail. Christians should all agree on the essentials of the faith but we should have unity in non-essentials. |
Biblical Teaching on the Rapture
Did you know that there are five things that will take place when the rapture occurs?
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV)
Five events will take place when Jesus returns. God wants to know what these events are. He does not want us to be uninformed. He wants us to live our lives in anticipation of these events. Many Christians don’t know about these events. Many churches today do not teach about prophecy.
Five Events of the Rapture
1. Return
Jesus will return in the clouds. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven (I Thessalonians 4:16 NIV). He will not send someone in his place. He Himself will come back.
He will come back in power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). He left earth in clouds, and he is going to return in the clouds.
Many teach that the rapture is not the Second Coming. They are two separate events. The rapture is when we meet Jesus in the air, but it is not the Second Coming. That is a very common view in some circles.
There is only one problem. Paul calls the rapture “the coming of the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:15 NIV). He calls it the Second Coming. He calls it the παρουσία.
2. Ratification
How do we know it is Jesus? There will be confirmation. There will be verification. There will be ratification. What is the proof? There will be some signs. We see them in I Thessalonians 4:16.
We will hear a shout from heaven. I Thessalonians 4:16 says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven “with a shout (NASB, ASV, KJV). Some translate with “a cry of command” (ESV). NIV reads “with a loud command”
That raises a bunch of questions. Who is shouting? What is the command? Paul doesn’t say but this shout will get everyone’s attention. What Jesus says may give us an idea.
Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned (John 5:28-29 NIV).
We will hear a voice. The voice of God raises the dead. We will also hear the voice of an angel but not just any angel. It will be an archangel.
That raises two questions. Who is the angel and what will this angel say? We don’t know but it would be cool for people on earth to hear the voice of a real angel speaking.
Jehovah’s Witnesses use the verse to prove that Jesus is Michael the archangel. This is wrong on every level. We don’t know for sure that this angel is Michael.
Michael is an archangel (Jude 9). Is he the only archangel? We don’t know. Michael is called one of the chief princes in Daniel 10:13. He may be just one of the ruling or archangels.
Jesus is never called Michael the Archangel in the Bible. Jesus is not an angel. He is clearly distinguished from the angels in the NT (Hebrews 1:5-8).
He is the one who created all of the angels. He is not the head angel but the one who created all the angels (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16).
Finally, we will hear a trumpet. He will hear some musical instruments. Why a trumpet? Often when God shows up publicly in a theophany, a trumpet is sounded.
When God showed up on Mount Sinai, there were a lot of signs of his presence (lightening, thunder, smoke, earthquake). There was also the sound of a trumpet (Exodus 19:16).
Is this trumpet literal or is it a symbol, as some say? It has to be literal. How do we know? It is mentioned three times. Jesus mentions a trumpet sounding when He returns, and Paul mentions it in two different books
Paul called it the sound of “the trumpet of God” in I Thessalonians 4:16 ESV. It will not be a human but a divine trumpet.
He called it “the last trumpet” In I Corinthians 15. He said that “the trumpet will sound and the dead will raise” in I Corinthians 15:52 NIV. Jesus says when He returns, there will be “a loud trumpet call” in Matthew 24:31 NIV.
3. Resurrection
The dead in Christ will rise. Paul says, “the dead in Christ will rise first” (I Thessalonians 4:16 NIV). That is the next thing that will happen.
All of these bodies will come out of tombs all over the world. Billy Graham and Norm Geisler’s bodies will fly up from Charlotte, NC where they are buried.
In Massachusetts, the bodies of David Brainerd, George Whitfield and Elizabeth Elliot will raise from the dead. The body of Jonathon Edwards will fly up from Princeton, NJ.
In Ecuador, the body of Jim Elliot will come out of the grave. In London, the body John Wesley will be raised and go up to the clouds.
Dead believers will be raised but they will be raised different. They will be raised but they will get resurrection bodies. Paul said, “the dead will be raised imperishable” (I Corinthians 15:52 NIV).
4. Rapture
Not all Christians are going to die. He says, “We shall not all sleep” (I Corinthians 15:51 NIV). Sleep is a metaphor for death.
Christians don’t die, they just go to sleep. Jesus said of Lazarus that he is “not dead but sleeping.”
If you go to a funeral for a believer, don’t think of them as dead but as sleeping. That should change how we view a funeral of believers who died.
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. Paul says that we will ALL change. Some will be DEAD when it happens. They will be RESURRECTED.
Some will be ALIVE when this change happens. They will be RAPTURED. Paul says we are all going to change but we are not all going to die.
There will be a group of people who never die. Some will skip death. In fact, there will be a whole generation of Christians who will miss death. They will go to heaven without dying.
Wouldn’t it great to be one of them? Many were raptured in the Bible. Many were taken to heaven. Paul was caught up to paradise.
He saw things and heard things that he was not allowed to tell (II Corinthians 12:2, 4).
John looked up in the sky and saw a door standing open in heaven and he was taken up to heaven (Revelation 4:1-2) and saw the future unfold before his eyes.
While may were raptured, only two people in the Bible were taken to heaven WITHOUT DYING. Enoch was the first to be raptured. He lived before the Flood. He was the seventh generation from Adam (Jude 14).
He walked with God. He walked with God for three hundred years (Genesis 5:22) and he was raptured (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). Some of us can’t walk with God for a day.
Elijah was the only other person in the Bible who went to heaven without dying. Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible.
He was the first to raise anyone from the dead. He prayed and raised a widow’s son from the dead (I Kings 17). He called fire down from heaven. He changed the weather by his prayers.
He went to heaven without dying. He was taken alive to heaven in a chariot of fire (II Kings 2).
What did these two have in common? Both were righteous. They were godly men, and both lived in extremely wicked environments. Elijah lived in a day when his nation was worshipping Baal and killed those who worshipped the one true God.
In the future, God is going to rapture not just individuals but a whole group of people. He is going to rapture millions of people at the same time,
He calls this a mystery. Most of us like mysteries. Some of us like murder mysteries. The rapture is a mystery, but it is a different type of mystery.
A mystery in the Bible is not something that is HARD to understand that you have to figure out and solve. A mystery in the Bible is something that is IMPOSSIBLE to know apart from divine revelation.
5. Reunion
The rapture will be a grand meeting. There is a meeting scheduled in the future for every believer. We don’t know the date yet but know the location. It will take place in the sky. When this takes place, there will be many reunions.
The souls of dead believers who died will have a reunion. They will have a reunion with their bodies, but they will get an upgrade. That is a reunion of soul and body. Their new bodies will be perfect.
Believers who are raptured will have a reunion with believers who died. We will see believers who lived thousands of years ago. We will see believers who were our ancestors that we did not even know were believers.
Finally, there will be a meeting with living believers and Jesus. Paul says that we will meet the Lord in the air, and we will be with Him forever.
Practical Applications
What is the application for us today? This doctrine is both an encouragement and warning.
1) Comfort of the Rapture
Paul said, “encourage one another with these words.” It is an encouragement to know that we may miss death.
It is an encouragement to know that we will get to meet loved ones who died and other believers from the past.
It is an encouragement to know that Jesus is coming back. He is coming back soon. He could come in our lifetime.
It is an encouragement to know that Jesus is not only coming back, but He is also coming back with rewards. He is going to reward every believer.
Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. (Revelation 2:12 NIV). Notice how I Corinthians 15 ends.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (I Corinthians 15:58 NIV)
Any work for Christ is not in vain. It is not a waste of time. Every good deed done for Jesus will one day be rewarded, even giving someone a cup of cold water (Matthew 10:42). Paul says we need to be steadfast and unmovable.
2) Warning of the Rapture
The rapture is also a warning. The Bible says that when Jesus comes some will be ashamed (I John 2:28) and that this includes some Christians.
Some Christians may not be ready to see Jesus when He returns. Many Christians are carnal, lukewarm lives. They are not be living for the Lord.
They are not be using their talents or serving Christ. Some are more interested in advancing their career or moving up in society. Some are living in sin.
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42 NIV)
We need to watch and be ready, because ready or not he is coming soon.
