Resources Bible Answers and More Popular Doctrinal Errors The Rapture
Chapter 181
Will there be rapture?
Yes. Rapture means "to be carried away with power."
"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."
1Thessalonians 4:17.
Will it be a secret rapture?
"No! The Bible tells us that Christ's return will be:
Literal
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:9-11.
Heaven-sent messengers told the disciples that Jesus would return to this earth in the same manner as He left. Christ left in the clouds and He will come back in the clouds.
Spectacular
"Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21:26, 27.
"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." Isaiah 25:9.
Visible
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him." Revelation 1:7.
Christ was visible when He left and He will be visible when He comes again.
"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:27
"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30.
The Bible is very clear that when Jesus comes back, His feet will not touch the ground. The righteous will be caught up to meet Him in the air (1Thessalonians 4:17). This is why Jesus warns us: : "Therefore if they say to you, "Look, He is in the desert! do not go out; or "Look, He is in the inner rooms! do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:26, 27.
Audible
"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." 1Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
"The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout." Jeremiah 25:30.
"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him." Psalms 50:3.
Why is Christ coming?
To resurrect His dedicated people who are dead: "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40.
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." 1Corinthians 15:22, 23.
"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." 1Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
This is the Bible's description of the rapture. The dead in Christ will rise by His power and will meet Him in the air. Afterward the faithful who are still alive will also be caught up. It will not be a secret!
To reward His dedicated people: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Matthew 16:27.
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12.
It is at Christ's return that we will receive our final reward. Each person's destiny will have already been decided.
What will happen to the earth?
"The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again."Isaiah 24:19, 20.
"And the heaven [sky] departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Revelation 6:14.
"And there were voices, and thunders, and lightings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." Revelation 16:18-20.
If that is what the Bible teaches, how then did the idea of a secret rapture arise?
Here are a few verses used to support the Secret Rapture theory:
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" 2Peter 3:10.
Many conclude that this means that there will be a secret rapture. But if we continue the passage:
"in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2Peter 3:10.
"If the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." Luke 12:39, 40
Here Christ is using a parable to point out the unexpectedness of His return, and admonishes us to therefore watch and pray.
"I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Luke 17:34-36.
This verse simply implies that at the end, there will be just two groups of people living upon the earth the lost and the saved.
Why is the Secret Rapture belief popular?
Many have come to believe that the Secret Rapture will take place quietly and faithful Christians around the world will suddenly disappear while life here on earth will continue for a seven-year period of tribulation. During this time, they say, many will be converted and have a "second chance" at salvation before Christ's final coming, but we know that Satan would have us believe that so that we can delay our conversion to Christ.
This belief is popular because it teaches that the dedicated people of God will not have to go 'through tribulation' and the wicked will have a second chance; but the Bible does not teach that:
"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:14.
But the Lord will be with His children during tribulation Praise His Name.
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33.
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written by Wilfried Nickel, February 07, 2010
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written by TET SALDI, December 27, 2009
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written by Jimmy W., December 11, 2009
Proverbs 3 v.5: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding". NO ONE will come to understand the mystery of God if they are trusting someone else to interpret Scripture for them. Salvation is NOT brokered through any man!
Matthew 15 v.9: "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men". See also Mark 7 v.7, Colossians 2 v.20-21-22 and Titus 1 v.14.
Ephesians 4 v. 14-15-16: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love".
I Thessalonians 4 v.17: "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".
Some wrongly believe this means 'the rapture', but ask yourself where do clouds and air exist? They do NOT exist in the heavens, clouds and air exist in the Earth's atmosphere. This may lead you to wonder where will we meet Jesus Christ...
Revelation 15 v.5: "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God".
Our beliefs MUST be Scripturally correct.
Proverbs 14 v.12: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death". See also Proverbs 16 v.25 and Ezekiel 33 v.11.
Most importantly:
John 14 v.6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me".
For Yirmeyahu Yisrael: Please, do not be confused. There are 2 separate and distinct groups of people spoken of in Revelation 7. One is the 144,000, which will be sealed during the tribulation period. See Revelation 7 v.3-4 and verse 14. These verses refer to the same group of people.
There is also another group, the great multitude. See Revelation 7 v.9. Natalie is 100% correct about this in her post to Michael dated April 28th.
The third heaven is the realm of God, and is only inhabited by spirit beings. No flesh and blood human being will be 'raptured' into heaven. The ONLY way into heaven is to be transformed into a spirit being.
I Corinthians 15 v.52-53: "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality".
If you believe in the so-called 'rapture' and going to heaven, you must also believe that flesh and blood human beings can and will inhabit the realm of God, the third heaven.
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written by Katherine Higuet, October 12, 2009
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written by Yirmeyahu Yisrael, October 01, 2009
But to be taken to heaven does in actual fact goes against scripture! The place where he takes His chosen will be in the wilderness, face Him at His judgment seat and prepare and take part of the marriage supper of the Lamb. The perfect example of this is give by the Hebrew wedding ceremony that last for 7 days.
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written by vince robinette, September 27, 2009
The Rapture and the second coming are 2 distinctly different occurrences.
The "rapture" hes comes "for" his own. see 2 Thess
The 2nd coming he comes "with" his own. see rev.
for how can we "return with him" lest he first come get us?
The rapture we will "meet him in the clouds"
The 2nd coming he will set foot on the mount of Olives.
We will be with him IN HEAVEN during the 7yr wrath, (heaven isn't necessarily far away, but possibly another dimension as we learn in the gospels after his resurrection, for "he appeared in their midst", and immediately he was far away revealing himself to over 500) 1 thess. 1:10 states that we are to wait for Yeshua "who saves us from the wrath to come."
For more in depth study on this and many more subjects not covered in seminary please visit Dr Chuck Missler's website at www.khouse.org
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written by Yirmeyahu Yisrael, September 26, 2009
- Natalie K; Those who come out of the great tribulation are not of the 144,000. And to support this, read 7:9 "After this I looked and saw a great crowd which no one was able to count..." And those who have the seal of Elohim,(read 7:2-4) and are protected,(read 9:1-21). And as to going to heaven, is not supported by scripture anywhere! Now in Luke 21:36, then read Revelation 12:1-6;
7-13; 14-17.
- Leana Nieves: As to the term "Rapture" is not found anywhere in the bible. But however the therm "Caught" away does.
- Jimmy W: The meek references you gave is a good reply!
Now as to the story from above...
The statement of { The Bible is very clear that when Jesus comes back, His feet will not touch the ground.},is false. Sorry...But you for got about Zekaryah/Zechariah 14:4 And in that day His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, which faces Yerushalayim on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Now as to the great tribulation, happens after the mid part of the tribulation when the Beast sets him self up in the the set-apart place in the temple.
As to {This belief is popular because it teaches that the dedicated people of God will not have to go 'through tribulation' and the wicked will have a second chance; but the Bible does not teach that:}, you should reread scripture and carefully pay attention to what it says, for you have blundered again...Luke 21:36 “Watch then at all times, and pray that you be counted worthy to escape all this
about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Adam.” With other supporting scripture.
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 4:2 In that day the Branch of YHWH ( YAHUAH ) shall be splendid and esteemed. And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for the escaped ones of Yisra’El.
Yo'El/Joel 2:32 “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Name of YHWH ( YAHUAH )shall be delivered. For on Mount Tsiyon and in Yerushalayim there shall be an escape as YHWH ( YAHUAH ) has said, and among the survivors whom YHWH ( YAHUAH )calls.
Obadyah vs.17 “But on Mount Tsiyon there shall be an escape,...
Shall I continue? And yet I can go a lot deeper if need be...
Shalom for now...The Rabbi!
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written by silas raj, August 14, 2009
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written by Jimmy W., August 10, 2009
Revelation 22 v.12: "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
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written by Jimmy W., August 10, 2009
Psalm 37 v.11: "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Matthew 5 v.5: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Revelation 21 V.2-3: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."
Revelation 5 v.10: "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Emphasis mine)
Where was Jesus Christ sent the first time, when he was crucified to pay mankind's debt of sin? He was sent to the Earth. Where is Jesus Christ coming upon His second return? The Earth.
Hebrews 13 v.8: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
John 10 v.30: "I and my Father are one."
Malachi 3 v.6: "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
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written by Leana Nieves, July 02, 2009
In the bible it does talk about the blessed hope but that word 'rapture' is no where to be found in the bible, I take this as having hope for the coming of Christ, not to give up this fight nor this race...and putting on the faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. Those who have fallen asleep with him will rise with him regardless..In 1 Thessalonians 4:15 its states that ..."According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left TIL the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep." Meaning until Christ returns no one will rise...? As for the day of the Lord, Jesus doesn't even know what day it will happen...but the father does..and will send Him when the time comes...
it comes like a theif in the night b/c you are not alert in Christ the one who is true in love and died for you, you is alert more in worldly issues that have no meaning to your eternal life in heaven..
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written by Natalie K, April 28, 2009
You have asked a good question. Revelation 7:14 shows how the saints, or the 144,000, will be those who come out of the great tribulation. So the tribulation will come first, and then the second coming of Jesus, that all the world will know about, which will then lead to us being raptured up to heaven
I hope this is clear and understandable. God bless you!
In His love and service,
WLC Team
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written by michael devera, April 24, 2009
what will happen first??????
read matthew 24
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written by Natalie K, March 27, 2009
The above study shows how Christ's coming will not be a secret, and that there is no such thing as a secret rapture where the saved will be taken to heaven before the great tribulation. Revelation 7:14 tells us: "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb." [referring to the 144,000]. There is no Bible verse that supports the idea that God's people will be taken to heaven before this.
Please contact us if you need more information, or please carefully read the above study again.
God bless you!
In His love and service,
WLC Team
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written by patricia ashing, March 23, 2009
In Jesus
Patricia Ashing
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