Remember that Jesus did not teach about the Rapture. Nor did his disciples. This flies in the face of many sincere Christians who stoically cling to human ideas, notions and perceptions, not reflected in God’s word.
Many believers simply accept what their pastors told them about the Rapture , if they mention it at all. Many pastors and Bible teachers are themselves similarly misinformed about what the scriptures tell us about the Rapture, as well as the books of Revelation and Daniel.
Mention the book of Revelation, and many pastors wave their hand dismissively, silently proclaiming that it is of no value for today’s “sandals, tattoos and shorts” congregations.
Only the True Born Again Christian Will be Raptured
Think about it. As we discussed earlier, the Rapture is for the Church only. The pre-tribulation Rapture was designed for those saints who have received salvation under the ministries of Jesus, Peter and Paul.
As contemporary Christians, we should be actively looking for the return of Jesus and the Rapture. We are those who must embrace the true Gospel of I Corinthians 15: 4:
“…that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Yes, Jesus’ disciples will be Raptured along with all true believers, living and dead, even though they knew nothing about the Rapture. They lived in a dispensation where converts were saved by believing in Jesus as their Messiah. Recall that this was the singular requirement needed to be saved during the times of the Jesus and the apostles.
Now, let us look at the Old Testament s saints. They are not eligible for the Rapture because they were not a part of the “Church” during Jesus’ earthly ministry or Paul’s ministry to 143
the Gentiles. These dear Old Testament saints will be resurrected after Jesus returns in His second coming, when the Great Tribulation is at its end.
Daniel 12: 1-2 describes the Old Testament saints resurrection:
“And at that time (end of the tribulation) shall Michael (the archangel) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people (Israel): and there shall be a time of trouble, (Jacobs trouble - Jeremiah 30: 7) such as never was since there was a nation even to the same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book (of Life). And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, (resurrection) some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Let me remind you again what God’s word tells us about the pre-tribulation Rapture in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-18:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Why would Jesus tell us to “comfort one another” if He knew we had to go through the tribulation? This is yet another classic example of how the deceivers call God a liar by not believing what His word says! May God have mercy on their souls.
We have continually rehearsed that most sincere, God-fearing people, are confused and confounded about the revolutionary nature of the Rapture. What are they to believe? Who are 144
they to believe? Why are they to believe? How are they to believe? Why believe at all!
If one favors the succinctness of a “nutshell summary,” then the reader will appreciate how one of the world’s most recognized prophecy teachers, Hal Lindsey, drops an outstanding analysis of the Rapture into this particular nutshell:
“To the skeptic who says that Christ is not coming soon, I would ask him to put the book of Revelation in one hand, and the daily newspaper in the other, and then sincerely ask God to show him where we are on His prophetic time-clock.”
The Final Prophetic Event Before the Rapture
We have studied that Jesus’ return for His Church is imminent. Esteemed Bible teacher Les Feldick reminds us that only one event remains that must first be completed in order for the Rapture to occur – when the final person receives salvation and is added to God’s family.
Romans 11:25b states it this way: “when the fullness of the Gentiles be come in,” then Jesus will leave His Father’s throne. He will then descend to earth’s atmosphere to receive all true, born again Christians, living and dead, to Himself. Remember God’s guarantee!
If you have an interest in prophecy, you certainly recognize that confusion abounds, insecurity festers, fears arise and uncertainty prevails. Try asking ten members of your Sunday school class or Bible study group their position on the Rapture. Ask them to define it and point out relevant scriptures in their Bibles.
Ask them whether they believe in the Rapture at all; and if they do believe that there will be a Rapture, ask them when they believe the Rapture will occur – pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation. Perhaps they are also a-millennial, believing in no millennium.
With what you have learned so far, you would certainly be in a position to school them about 145
the reality of the pre-tribulation Rapture directly from God’s word. Why not seriously consider my challenge? However, be prepared to receive few similar responses from those Church members.
It is vitally important to know where one stands in relation to the Biblical reality of the Rapture because one’s sense of personal peace depends on it. As life on our planet becomes increasingly more dangerous and insecure, true confidence in our moment-by-moment existence can only be found in one source – the word of God and His promises for His children.
That Thou Mayest Prosper
God’s desire for us is clearly written in 3 John: 2:
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth.”
Notice the specificity of this verse. God tells us that “above all things,” He wants us to prosper and be in health. As His children, He will do His part to meet us halfway. He fully expects us to be filled with the Holy Spirit as we access His power to be overcomers in our daily lives.
There is no higher level of prosperity than to be saved by believing in the death, burial and death of Jesus Christ. When the trump of God sounds for the Rapture, we will rise instantaneously with our perfect, eternal bodies, to meet the Lord in the air.