4. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

4. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

A careful look at the Bible shows that there are no more prophecies that must be fulfilled in order for the rapture to occur. The rapture – the moment in which Christ will take all New Testament believers up to heaven prior to the seven-year tribulation – is the very next event that will take place on God’s prophetic calendar. We know it will happen; we just don’t know when.

1. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, we are given five stages of the rapture as follows:

(a) The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

(b) The dead in Christ will rise first.

(c) We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together.

(d) We will meet the Lord in the air.

(e) We shall always be with the Lord.

Five reasons for believing in a pretribulation rapture:

(a) The Lord Himself promised to deliver us (Revelation 3:10).

(b) The church is to be delivered from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

(c) The church is not appointed to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

(d) The church is absent in Revelation chapters 4-18.

(e) If the church is raptured at the end of the tribulation, there will be no one left to re-populate the Earth during the Millennium (Matthew 25:46).

3. In Mark 13:32-33, we are told by Jesus to “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Christ sounded a warning for believers to be on guard (keep your eyes open or beware).

4. In 1 John 2:28, we are told in order to be ready for the coming of Christ, we are to “abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” The task of the genuine believer is to “walk in truth, “or persevere in faithfulness and sound doctrine (1 John 20–21; 2 John 4; 3 John 4).

5. It is important for us to live as though Christ could come at any moment.

(a) It provides comfort.

(b) It purifies us.

(c) It shows unbelievers that we are Christians.

All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible, © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

©2013 Kenute P. Curry. All rights reserved.