The Rapture of the Church

Introduction

Good morning/afternoon/evening! My name is Siomara Ortiz, and today I’m going to be preaching on the rapture in hopes that those who are still skeptical about a rapture will leave with a new hope, a new illumination of scripture, and a fresh sense of urgency in their faith.

‌ So...The rapture. What is it? For starters, you will not find the word rapture in the Bible. The word rapture was actually translated from the Latin word raeptius, which came from the original Greek verb Harpazo, used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which is our scripture for today, if you all will turn to it. 1 Thessalonians 4:17. It states, “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Harpazo translates to “caught up” or “snatched up.”, but the word itself means to seize, snatch, to take suddenly. In the context of scripture, God usually takes an individual into his realm, the third heaven, which is outside of this world. There are also a couple of instances where God takes an individual from one location to another.

‌ A deep analysis of the scriptures with an open mind will lead you to discover that the Bible supports a pre-tribulation rapture. Having a knowledge of a pretribulation rapture should give believers a sense of urgency to have their hearts prepared and unblemished before the Lord, and it should give us an unearthly hope that can’t be tainted by the world.

Body

Biblical Evidence of a Rapture

Transition

There are many instances of a “rapture” that occur in scripture.

‌Exposition

‌ Many people claim that because the word rapture is not in Scripture, there are no examples of a physical rapture anywhere in the Bible. This is not true, and these claims are made by those who have not actually studied the scriptures-or they studied them with their own conclusions already in mind. Remember that we are not looking for the word “rapture” in scripture. We are looking for the translations of the words raeptius and harpazo, which usually show up as the phrase “caught up,” “carried away,” etc. We see many examples of raptures occur throughout the Old Testament and New Testament.

Rapture occurrences throughout Scripture

‌ In Acts 1:9–11 it says, “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’” Here we see that Jesus was “lifted up” into heaven to be with the Father. This would be considered a rapture.

‌ We also see in 2 Corinthians 12:2 that a man was “caught up” to heaven. It says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.” In this verse, you will find the English phrase “caught up” translated from Harpazo. Paul also writes in his letter that he does not know if it was a physical bodily experience or a vision. This renders the possibility that a physical rapture is in the realm of possibilities.

‌ One last example in Genesis 5:21–24 it states, “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” In this passage, you are not going to find the phrase “caught up.” However, the definition of the word “took” in this passage is to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, snatch. In the previous sentence it says “and he was not.” The word “not” translates to “not found” from the Septuagint. So we see that God “fetched” Enoch, and so Enoch was not found anywhere. We can conclude that God took him into the third heaven, God’s domain.

Rapture Split into Two Events

So now that we have evidence that the concept of a rapture is biblical, lets talk about the Second Coming. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the rapture and the Second coming because some people don’t know how to divide the word of truth; not in a rude way, but it’s just the truth. The second coming of Jesus is divided into two events; the rapture and the Return of Christ. The rapture is what sets the events leading to the Return of Christ into motion.

‌ The prophets of the Old Testament all got revelations of some sort about God returning to restore the nation of Israel (Is.2:10-11; Zech. 9:14-15;Zech. 14:4-9. We also hear mention of His return in many different parts of the Gospels and the New Testament (Matt. 24:30; Luke 21:34-36; Mark 14:62 Acts 1:11; . The Return of the Messiah as a judge and a restorer was a well-known teaching in Judaism. However, when Paul first talks about the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:51, he calls this event a “mystery.” The definition of a mystery is “a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding.” If the rapture is not obvious to the understanding, how could it be the same event as the Return of Christ at the end of the age?

‌ Also, the things that Paul states in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians don’t like up with what is described at the Return of Christ on earth. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 teaches the church that Christ is going to come in the air; Zechariah 14:4 says that Christ is going to come to the earth. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says that Christ is coming for His saints, while 1 Thessalonians 3:13 and Jude 1:14 say that Christ is coming for his Saints. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says that Christ come to reward while Matthew 25:31-46 say that Christ will come to judge. There are no signs mentioned in scripture proceeding the gathering in the clouds of believers, and it will happen in the twinkle of an eye, while the Bible teaches many signs that proceed before the earthly return of Christ and that every eye will see him.

‌ I think you get my point by now, but do you see how it doesn’t make sense that the events spoken of in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians are separate events from the Return of Christ. This furthers the point even more that there IS a rapture of the church that is a separate event from the earthly return of Christ.

Transition

‌So now that we can prove that there is a rapture of the church, how about we talk about WHEN the rapture will occur?

Biblical Evidence for a Pre-tribulation Rapture

‌ There is biblical evidence that the church will experience a rapture before the tribulation occurs. There are many other views and perspectives on when the rapture of the church will occur; however, after a deep studying of the scriptures, I firmly believe that the church will be gathered together before the tribulation.

‌God’s Purpose for the Tribulation

Exposition

The first reason why I believe this is because the Bible explicitly says that the period of tribulation is for the nation of Israel to be saved. We see this in Jeremiah 30:7 This verse specifically talks about the Great Tribulation. Jeremiah also calls it a “time of distress for Jacob.” If you read through the book of Genesis, you would know that Jacob is another name for the nation of Israel. It doesn’t say it would be a time of distress for “God’s people,” “God’s saints,” or anything else alluding to the church. The tribulation is also a fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel written in Daniel 9:24–27. ‌Nowhere in this passage is the church insinuated. This passage specifically states that this prophecy about the last week (the tribulation) is decreed for the nation of Israel and its holy city (Jerusalem). The church is not mentioned. In Matthew 24:15-21, Jesus is also specifically focused on the nation of Israel. He tells those in Judea to flee the city of Jerusalem when they see the abomination of desolation in the Holy place. He doesn’t tell the body of Christ around the world to flee, but he’s focused on the Jews in the nation of Israel.

‌ If you just study the scriptures when it comes to the tribulation, you will realize that this end-time event and the prophecies that are fulfilled during this time all revolve around the covenant between God and Israel. Israel’s covenant with God is also under a different dispensation than God’s covenant with the church. The church dispensation started at the resurrection of Christ, and the dispensation of the nation of Israel was put on pause. But God wasn’t done with Israel yet. God will use this tribulation period to bring salvation to the Nation of Israel, fulfilling the promise stated in Isaiah 45:17, which states, “But Israel is saved by the Lord with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.” There are promises made specifically to the church, but this promise and the events leading up to the fulfillment of this promise are for Israel.

‌‌Church Exempt from God’s Wrath

A lot of anti-pretribulationists like to call those who believe in it “escapists” and that we just want to avoid persecution. I would first like to say that a pretribulation rapture doesn’t exempt us from persecution. America is pretty spoiled, so in our little bubble, we believe that there is no persecution. However, there are other parts of the world where it is illegal to become a Christian, and Christians have been martyred for their faith. So this argument actually just shows how naive some of us are. All a pretribulation view implies is that we are exempt from the WRATH of God, which has been promised to us in the scriptures.

Revelation 3:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9 both support that the church is not going to go through the tribulation. Revelation 3:10 states, “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” In this verse, Jesus is encouraging the church of Philadelphia who were being persecuted. The tribulation is the only event that fits the description of “the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world.”

‌ Paul also encourages the church with similar words in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, which says, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ...”. We already know that God’s purpose of the tribulation is to save the nation of Israel, and to pour out his wrath on the wicked. Since the church is not the nation of Israel, nor is it destined for the wrath of God, there is no reason why a gracious God would let his bride be trampled on.

‌ I’ve previously stated this before, but in Jude 1:14 it states that Jesus is going to return with his saints. How can he return to earth with his saints if we went through the tribulation and are still on earth? Again, it just doesn’t make sense.The whole point of the tribulation is for God to bring salvation to the nation of Israel and for God to judge the wicked. Why would the grace of God allow his Bride to be trampled by Satan during a period where we play no part in God’s purpose? It’s just not biblical or logical, and it doesn't fit with God’s promises to the church, which he is always faithful to deliver.

‌Application

Why does the Rapture Matter?

‌Transition

Some of you have probably made it this far into my sermon and are still scratching your head saying, “Well, this is definitely interesting and all, but why does it matter to be as a believer? How does this affect me?”

‌Signs of the End of the Age

The Bible says that the rapture is imminent and can happen at any time. There are no signs shown in scripture that have to proceed before the rapture, and according to the prophetic time clock…the rapture is next. Even though there are no signs of the rapture, there are definitely signs showing that the end in itself is on the horizon.

Exposition

‌ We are seeing those opposing the truth, calling good evil and evil good (2 Tim. 3:1-9); Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places (Matt. 24:5-8); Some abandoning the faith and turning to doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1); Not only that, but there are also prophecies that have been fulfilled which are necessary for the tribulation to take place: Israel was recognized as a State in 1948 which fulfilled Genesis 17:8 and Ezekial 37, and Jews around the world went back to their homeland which fulfilled Isaiah 11:11-12. This is needed in order to fulfill the events of the tribulation, which take place in Jerusalem; We have the formation of the European Union and a reunified Germany, which is interesting considering the prophecy spoken of in Daniel 2:42 and 7:20 where it talks about a revived Roman Empire. This exact political structure has yet to be formed, but everything seems to be falling into place; There has also been mention of things like a “new world order” and “one world government,” which sounds similar to the Antichrist beast system spoken of in Revelation 13; There have also been rumors from Israel of plans for a third temple to be built, which is necessary for the abomination of desolation spoken of in Matthew 24:15.

I don’t know about you, but even saying all of this gives me a sense of urgency to be right with the Lord. There is no denying that the end of the age is wrapping up quickly, so how much sooner do you think the gathering of the saints will occur?

‌A sense of Urgency for Believers

Have you guys ever read the parable of the ten virgins? I think this parable is a little bit of a warning for the latter-day church. For the sake of time, I’ll summarize the story in a nutshell: There were 10 virgin brides with lamps, five wise and five foolish. The wise virgins took oil with their lamps, and the foolish virgins didn’t take the oil. The groom was delayed, so they all fell asleep. However, without notice, the groom announced his arrival. Those who didn’t have oil had to buy their own, while those with oil went with the groom to the marriage feast. Those who bought oil knocked on the door where the wedding feast was held, but when the groom answered, he said I DO NOT KNOW YOU. The last verse of the parable says, “Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor hour.”

‌ There will be some people listening today who will be in the same shoes as the foolish virgins. They will tell themselves, “My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather have all been preaching about this ‘rapture’, but it still hasn’t happened yet. Let me forget about God and just live my life how I please.” Then, like a thief in the night, Jesus will come for His church and you will be left with a regret that will never be quenched. Let this not be your story at the judgment seat of Christ. You don’t want to hear the dreaded words, “I never knew you, depart from me.” It’s important that, as a church, we expect an imminent rapture so that we don’t get too comfortable or complacent in this world.

‌ I will ask you this question: are your lamps filled with oil? You might be wondering what even is the meaning of the oil? Well, the oil represents the spiritual preparedness they can only get through the Holy Spirit- this explains the reaction of the wise virgins when the foolish virgins ask for their oil. You can’t borrow “a piece of the Holy Spirit” or “spiritual preparedness” from someone else. You can’t decide you are ready for the return of Christ because you have family and friends who are ready. It’s each of us’s responsibility to always be connected to the Holy Spirit because he is the one who keeps our hearts alert and in right standing before God. I will ask again now that you understand what it means: are your lamps filled with oil today? I’m going to let you stew on that while I wrap up this sermon.

‌The Hope of the Rapture

This should not only give you an urgency to get right with the Lord, but it should awaken a hope in your heart that the world can’t touch. This sermon isn’t just some doom and gloom warning about being right with the Lord. The rapture is actually GREAT news. Paul calls the appearing of Christ and the gathering of the Saints “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Why should find hope and comfort in the rapture?

‌ Firstly, the rapture is a comfort to those who are grieving their believing loved ones. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says we aren’t to grieve as the world does, but we are to find hope the fact that we will see each other again when we are gathered together with Christ in the air, which will occur at the rapture.

‌ Another reason to hope in the rapture is the resurrection of the saints. Just like Jesus died and was resurrected with a glorified body, we and those who are asleep in Christ will also transform into our glorified bodies when we meet Christ in the air. We find this promise in Thessalonians and also in John 6:40. Isn’t it exciting that one day, we won’t have a body that is subjected to the curse of a fallen world? No more mental illness, no more sickness, no more physical pain, no more starvation or thirst. Only eternal life with our Savior. It’s going to be a glorious day for the church.

‌ What should give us an even greater hope though, is that we will finally see our precious savior face to face. It’s a moment that none of us can even begin to imagine. We are finally going to see God face to face. The thought of it in itself fills me with hope and joy like nothing else. There is nothing else in this world that can and will ever fill me with this type of hope, peace, and joy. David says in Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” This is a yearning that I’m sure you all feel right now; at least I hope so. I know I feel this in my heart every moment of the day. One day, we will gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. Some day, in the twinkling of an eye, before you even finish your next thought, you will be gazing upon the beauty of the Lord if only your lamps are filled with oil.

‌

Conclusion

‌ The rapture isn’t an event that should scare you, but it’s an event that should excite you and increase your faith. If the idea of a rapture scares you, then it probably means you don’t know the Lord or your heart isn’t right with Him. Everything I taught today was meant to lead to this very moment, where I come to you with the message of salvation. Without the message of salvation, this entire sermon is useless because Jesus is the only way to the Father. Romans 10:9–13 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved....Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” Believe today in the Lord Jesus Christ so you can partake in the blessed hope of the rapture of his saints and obtain the glorious inheritance that God will one day reward to those who put their hope in Him.

Bibliography

Blue Letter Bible, "G3466 - mystērion - Strong's Greek Lexicon (esv)." Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 14 Nov, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3466/esv/mgnt/0-1/

Hitchcock, Mark. “The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days.” Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2012.

Houdman, Michael S. "What happens after death?" Got Questions Ministries, July 18th, 2004. https://www.gotquestions.org/what-happens-after-death.html

Smith, Brandon. “The Rapture,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

Ice, Thomas D., "Rapture Myths." Article Archives, 12. (May 2009): 1, https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/pretrib_arch/12