The Blessed Hope- Part I

‘For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And, thus we shall always be with the Lord’
-1 Thessalonians 4: 16 & 17 (NKJV)

The Rapture. Just the mention of it fills my heart with excitement, expectation, and joy. However, there are many of those out there, even inside of the Church, who do not understand or believe that there will even be such an event. Let us dive into this subject, which is one of the most controversial topics in Christianity today.

For those of you out there who believes the Rapture will never happen, it comes down to the validity of the Bible. As we have already proven beyond a shadow of a doubt the validity of Scripture in the previous issue, I will skip that one. Next, the Rapture is referred to many times throughout the Bible. For examples refer to the verse above, Corinthians, and the Olivet Discourse in Matthew.

Some say since the word Rapture is not in the Bible, then it is a false doctrine. However, we must look at the word “Rapture” itself to fully understand where it comes from. In Greek, the original language that most of the New Testament was written in, the word ‘harpazio’ is used in the above verse. Harpazio means “snatch or seize”. When Saint Jerome translated the original text into Latin in the 4th century, it became “rapturo”, which means “to snatch away, to seize, or to tear away”. The Rapture is a “snatching up” of Jesus’ followers before the trials that are to be poured out upon the undecided and the wicked.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. – Titus 2: 11-14

In this verse, the Rapture is called the Blessed Hope. The Blessed Hope refers to the glorious expectation of our Lord Jesus’ return. It will be a joyful event, that many opponents of the Rapture refer to as the “secret rapture”. However, it is clear that it will be widespread, obvious, and world-changing. The Bible says the Rapture will be preceded by Jesus’ shout, a voice of an archangel, and a trumpet. Sounds the opposite of “secret”.

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
–Matthew 20: 36-44

The order of the Rapture is also explained. The dead in Christ, believers throughout the ages, will rise first. Imagine if you will, every grave or coffin that contains a believer is suddenly empty. Morgues emptied of bodies. A wake loses its’ star attraction. Immediately after this happens, every believer alive will be “caught up” to the clouds to meet Jesus and the dead in Christ. Now absorb what we are saying. Factory workers, airline pilots, train conductors, teachers, doctors disappear in the “twinkling of an eye”. Mayhem, chaos, and anarchy ensue as driverless cars, planes, trains, and trucks careen out of control. A husband wakes up early to go to work, rolls over to kiss his wife “good morning”, and encounters only a night gown and wedding ring. With all of the Christians taken away, the lawless and evil masses will begin rioting, looting, and marshal law will be instituted. A scary but inevitable scene. This is the world the unbelievers will be left to live in.

For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
–1 Thessalonians 1: 9-10

There are two main reasons, other than Scripture of course, that should cause us to take the Rapture seriously. First, history, especially, Biblical history, shows God’s unwillingness for His people to go through the trials awaiting the wicked. The trials in this case being the tribulation, which we will discuss in later issues. Noah escaped the flood. Lot escaped Sodom. Israel escaped Egypt.

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
–1 Thessalonians 5: 1-3

The second, Jesus tells us that His return for believers will be imminent and unpredictable. He tells us that He will return “like a thief in the night.” This is why we are called to live lives pleasing to God, in order not to be caught unawares like the parable of the ten virgins told by Jesus Himself. (Matthew 25: 1-13)

In conclusion, if you are saved, begin reading and researching the Rapture for yourself. It will be the most important event in your life. In Part 2, I will explain the main differing opinions about the timing of the Rapture. Will it be Pre or before the tribulation? Midtribulation? Posttribulation or at the end of the tribulation?