Lately there have been many posts about there not being a rapture. I hope you read thru and find comfort in the truth. I’ve done some research on this topic with a few Greek words/phrases. I’ll let you come to your own conclusions. I used a Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, KJV.
The thing about a rapture is that just because the terminology wasn’t used til later in history, the word “rapture” means what the Greek words imply.
Start with 1 Cor 15 v 51
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
Paul states we will all not be sleeping, or in the grave, when the rapture happens, but some of us will still be alive. This contradicts the belief that there won’t be a rapture this way: If there is no rapture, and we will all be killed off in the tribulation there won’t be a time where God changes the living Christians corruptible into incorruptible, and the mortal into immortality, since they’d all be dead anyway. It would assume the ushering in of the millennium with all Christians dead and raised to an earthly stay with Christ. But the bible speaks differently:
1 Cor 15:51, 1 Thess 4:16-17
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump…..
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 together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
So Paul says first, there will be sleeping Christians in the grave and living Christians on earth when he descends from heaven with a shout. The terminology “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds” is translated from the Greek harpagesometha. So all to all skeptics, the word rapture, even it’s relatively new use in the church, has it's definition rooted to the Greek harpagesometha caught up, which is in the bible very clearly. Plus, the word meet, in a more convincing example, comes from the Greek eis apantesin, which means literally “to come into the presence of, to meet.”
Now put that together with “the clouds”, and you have what’s going on in the “rapture” word Christians have used to describe this event.
Most Christian who hold a view of the rapture understand that the decent from Heaven of our Lord to gather up his own church, sets the ticker for the great tribulation. There will be a time between the rapture and the 7 years of tribulation. During the 7 years and the judgments will still not see white throne judgment until after the 1000 year reign of Christ. The church will see the judgment seat of Christ, at some point, not to judge sin (we have passed from judgment to life – Jesus’ words) but to give the crowns of rewards according to what we have done as Christians.
Christ will appear as the 2nd coming, the Day of the Lord, to separate the goats and the sheep, bring judgment, and set up His kingdom on earth. We will reign with him for 1000 years.
Really though, the fact I wanted to bring out is that there is a rapture coming, and it could come anytime.. the air is pregnant for such a time. No prophesy hasn’t been fulfilled that would need to.
Finally, in 1 Thess 4:18, Paul writes
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
How many times have we read posts that are not comforting for Christians about the end times? Paul is saying to comfort those who are distressed about it and say, “We will be with the Lord always when he descends from Heaven.” It’s supposed to be a comfort, not a fear, to the Christian.
The thing about a rapture is that just because the terminology wasn’t used til later in history, the word “rapture” means what the Greek words imply.
Start with 1 Cor 15 v 51
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
Paul states we will all not be sleeping, or in the grave, when the rapture happens, but some of us will still be alive. This contradicts the belief that there won’t be a rapture this way: If there is no rapture, and we will all be killed off in the tribulation there won’t be a time where God changes the living Christians corruptible into incorruptible, and the mortal into immortality, since they’d all be dead anyway. It would assume the ushering in of the millennium with all Christians dead and raised to an earthly stay with Christ. But the bible speaks differently:
1 Cor 15:51, 1 Thess 4:16-17
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump…..
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 together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
So Paul says first, there will be sleeping Christians in the grave and living Christians on earth when he descends from heaven with a shout. The terminology “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds” is translated from the Greek harpagesometha. So all to all skeptics, the word rapture, even it’s relatively new use in the church, has it's definition rooted to the Greek harpagesometha caught up, which is in the bible very clearly. Plus, the word meet, in a more convincing example, comes from the Greek eis apantesin, which means literally “to come into the presence of, to meet.”
Now put that together with “the clouds”, and you have what’s going on in the “rapture” word Christians have used to describe this event.
Most Christian who hold a view of the rapture understand that the decent from Heaven of our Lord to gather up his own church, sets the ticker for the great tribulation. There will be a time between the rapture and the 7 years of tribulation. During the 7 years and the judgments will still not see white throne judgment until after the 1000 year reign of Christ. The church will see the judgment seat of Christ, at some point, not to judge sin (we have passed from judgment to life – Jesus’ words) but to give the crowns of rewards according to what we have done as Christians.
Christ will appear as the 2nd coming, the Day of the Lord, to separate the goats and the sheep, bring judgment, and set up His kingdom on earth. We will reign with him for 1000 years.
Really though, the fact I wanted to bring out is that there is a rapture coming, and it could come anytime.. the air is pregnant for such a time. No prophesy hasn’t been fulfilled that would need to.
Finally, in 1 Thess 4:18, Paul writes
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
How many times have we read posts that are not comforting for Christians about the end times? Paul is saying to comfort those who are distressed about it and say, “We will be with the Lord always when he descends from Heaven.” It’s supposed to be a comfort, not a fear, to the Christian.
