Wherever teaching about the Second Coming occurs in the New Testament, imminence is underscored. The rapture is the taking up of the Church from the earth at God’s appointed time. 1445 N Boonville Ave Springfield, MO 65802 The scriptures of First Thessalonians 4 and 5 are familiar to most Christians as a description of the so-called "rapture of the church." A comparison of passages of Scripture relating to the Second Coming shows that some speak of a visible event seen by all mankind and involving the judgment of sinners.Others describe a coming known only to believers and resulting in their deliverance from earth. Firstly, the word rapture does not occur in the Bible and secondly, while scripture does speak of tribulation it does not say specifically how long it will be. This clearly means His second coming will be literal, physical, and visible. The belief in the Rapture emerged from the anticipation that Jesus would return to redeem all members of the church. Read this Biblical wisdom from Billy Graham and Franklin Graham. Some of these events and their order of occurrence have simply not been made clear in the Bible. If a child has not reached the point that he/she can make a decision for or against Christ, we would hold that if he/she dies, he/she will be granted entrance into heaven. Although some aspects of Elijah’s translation differed from Enoch’s, it also involved the sudden removal of a believer from the world without experiencing death (2 Kings 2:1-13). The supernatural removal of godly individuals from earth is not unknown in Scripture. ©2021 BGEA But, there’s going to be many people who become believers during the Tribulation. Believers are told to wait “for his Son from heaven,” not the Great Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Many explanations for the disappearance of those missing will be entertained. Jesus taught that He will return to earth. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Paul described Jesus as coming in the air, but nothing is said about His feet touching the earth, as we are told elsewhere they will at His return (Zechariah 14:4). The Rapture—the raising of the Church into heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17)—is the next event on the prophetic calendar. A sudden and unexpected pick-up or taking-away takes place with a simultaneous liberation from this unjust world over to the love and security of the divine Father. There are many Christians who believe that the second coming of Jesus Christ will be in two phases. The Rapture—the raising of the Church into heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17)—is the next event on the prophetic calendar. The author of Hebrews called this experience a translation, bypassing death (Hebrews 11:5). The term rapture refers to a phenomenon described in the Bible, in which individual persons are lifted up (raptured) alive by God from this physical world and brought into the spiritual dimension of God or to another place on earth. Then, second, after a period of seven years of tribulation on earth, Christ will return to the earth with His church, the saints who were raptured (Matthew 24:30, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:13, Revelation 1:7). It must be made clear to the true saints of God. The rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54. They’ll have the 144,000 Jewish witnesses from Revelation 7 and 14. >> Signs of the end of the world? Read this Biblical wisdom from Billy Graham and Franklin Graham. The Rapture will occur “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After 1,000 years, living unbelievers and the wicked dead now raised to life will be judged at the great white throne judgment. History of The Rapture Views. First Corinthians 15:51-54 deals with the same event as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 2, 3). 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18teaches that Christ will return in the air to resurrect Christians who have died and then “rapture” (Latin for “caught up”) living believers together with dead so that all will from then on be “with the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 teaches that at the rapture (compare “trumpet”, “dead raised” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16) resurrected Christians and living Christians will all receive “glorified” bodies (compare Jesus’ glorified body – John 20:19; 21:1,13). The above passages, taken as a whole, argue convincingly that we are “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Tit 2:13). Three Events That Happen at The Rapture. The latter is referred to among evangelicals as the Rapture. Home Although God’s people may endure severe trials before the Lord comes, the Church will be raptured before the period called the Great Tribulation. The rapture of the church is the event in which God “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. An individual called the man of sin (Antichrist) will appear. Billy Graham: Do You Scoff at the Second Coming of Christ? Passages which refer to the revelation of Christ describe the coming of the Lord with His saints. This is a must reading to clearly see what Jesus teaches about when the rapture of the church will be. The following four signs suggest the Rapture is near. The details of this great event will be made known in God’s own time. Privacy We believe it is scripturally correct to assume that the intervening period between the two is the time when the world will experience the Great Tribulation,involving the reign of Antichrist and the outpouring of God’s wrath on the wicked (Daniel 12:1, 2, 10-13; Matthew 24:15-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). In this view, the rapture—which is the transformation and catching up of all Christians, dead or alive, to meet Christ in the air—will be secret, for it will be unknown to the world of unbelievers at the time of its happening. Jesus Christ appears in the air and takes his church up with him. Jesus said His coming will result in one individual being taken from a location while another is left. Christians — the Bride of Christ and the Church — will be raptured before the Tribulation. It is the moment when 1 John 3:2 will be fulfilled, and we shall be like Him. David Jeremiah: Is the Coronavirus in Bible Prophecy? >> Be ready to meet Christ by giving your life to Him today. In 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul indicated certain things must take place before the Day of the Lord (of which the Great Tribulation is a part) can begin. The appearing of Christ at the Rapture is what the Christian is looking for, … By BGEA   •   Popular books and movies spin themes around this doctrine that essentially teaches Christ will come back twice, first coming only into the atmosphere to snatch believers away to heaven for several years; then actually returning to set foot on the earth. Permissions The rapture can be thought of as a point in eternity which will protrude into our historical time frame at some fixed point on God's calendar. The outstanding event in the life of Enoch was his miraculous disappearance from earth after years of walking with God (Genesis 5:21-24). https://wacriswell.com/sermons/1984/the-rapture-of-the-church At this point, interpreters differ as to whether there will be a literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth or whether the white throne judgment and the new heaven and earth will immediately appear. First, He will come for believers, both living and dead, in the “rapture” (read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The most widely-taught view is known as the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, or 'Pre-Trib,' theory.