Caught Up With Him In The Clouds

My goal in talking about the Rapture and the Second coming of Jesus Christ is to answer some questions that are likely in your minds.

What is the rapture of the Church?

When will the rapture take place?

Is the rapture and the second coming the same event, or two distinct events?

How should these doctrines affect our lives on earth today?

But first, let’s begin with that first question.

What is the rapture of the church?

There is only one text that I’m aware of that directly speaks of it, but IT IS a significant eschatological passage.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Those two English words, “caught up”, are translated from a Greek word, Harpazo. It means to snatch away with force, or to claim for ones self eagerly.

Now, that doesn’t say rapture. But it is an equivalent word to the Latin Vulgate's translation of the same text. It’s the word, Rapio, in Latin, which also means to be caught up, or snatched away. So, is the word, “rapture” in the Bible? Not in our English Bibles, but yes, it’s there.

Acts 8:39 uses the same word in the greek.

Acts 8:39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

There it is again. To be physically carried away. Removed from one place and brought to another.

So, what is the rapture? It is the sudden snatching away of God’s people, the church, from the earth, at some point in our future, and near the end of time.

Next question…When will the rapture take place?

It’s important to note that Christians generally do not disagree on whether the rapture happens, but rather, on the nature and timing of it.

Now, Does THIS conversation matter? I guess it depends on how you look at it. Is someone saved based on their understanding of these things? Absolutely not! Salvation comes because a gracious Father sent his only Son into the world to die for sinners, and that he might draw those sinners lovingly to His Son, to trust him and be forgiven of all their sins. Let’s be clear on that, that that is of utmost importance for someone to know.

But, when we read Scripture, it becomes clear that Jesus cared that His Church knows how to think about the Kingdom, how to live in the Kingdom, how to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom, and even how to wait with excitement and faith-filled anticipation for His return. We should not divide over these issues, but every disciple of Christ should take seriously all that Scripture teaches, and do so with humility.

In regards to the question, “When will the rapture take place?”

There are several views on this.

If you remember a few weeks back, Isaac introduced the views of the Millennium - Pre-millennial, A-Millennial, Post-Millennial, and Pre-Mil Dispensational.

There’s a really good chance that if you’ve thought about the timing of the rapture, then you already know about these various rapture views.

Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation views

Each of these views on the timing of the rapture are distinctly pre-millennial. Pre-millennial dispensationalists hold to a view that there is an age in our future in which God refocuses his saving grace on ethnic Israel as a chosen people separate from the Church. This refocusing begins with a 7 year tribulation, during that time there is the reign of a final Anti-Christ, and the rebuilding of a third temple for the re-instituting of Jewish law and sacrifice.

Now, according to the pre-tribulation rapture view which is definitely the most popular view, the Church would not be present, but has been raptured prior to, escaping the 7 years of tribulation. After this time Christ physically returns, sets up his Millennial kingdom (not New Jerusalem), a time in which Satan is bound, and there is peace on earth. The church is said to rule and reign with him during this time. After the 1000 years, Satan is loosed for short time, then judged, along with the rest of the dead, and then finally New Jerusalem.

Much if this view is taken from a literal understanding of Revelation 19, 20 and 21.

That’s the pre-millennial dispensational view.

The A-mil, and Post-Mil believers aren’t really wondering if we’re going to be raptured before a 7 year great tribulation, or before the millennial reign. These views both see the reign of Christ as a span that covers the entirety of time from the ascension of Jesus to his final return. Because much of the prophecies (not all) of Daniel and Revelation and Matthew 24, are seen as being fulfilled in the first century before and at 70ad when Jerusalem was destroyed, it’s not hard to then see the 1000 years, not as a future reign, but figurative of a long span of time. This is what I have come to believe.

Why is this? Well, it’s due largely to what we have studied in Daniel up to and including chapter 7 in relation to when dominion, and rule was given to Christ, and subsequently, to His saints.

The post-millennial and A-millennial view is that if the King is King now, then he must rule and reign now, and he must rule, as Paul says to the Corinthians church, until the last enemy is destroyed.

Now, the position I’m primarily representing regarding the rapture and the return of Jesus is the Post-millennial view. I don’t necessarily see it as my job to persuade you to see what I see. But I do want you to be persuaded by a serious study of Scripture, and don’t hold to any view that is primarily arrived at because of tradition or popularity.

Now, let’s Look at this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:22…the great resurrection passage where Paul argues that because Christ is raised, we also will be raised.

1 Corinthians 15:22-26 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

What chronology does this text give us?

The resurrection of Jesus is the firstfruits

He mentions the resurrection of those who belong to Christ - When? At his coming.

What happens when he comes? He delivers the Kingdom to His Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

v25. He must reign UNTIL he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

And when is death itself destroyed? When the dead in Christ are raised incorruptible at the resurrection.

Now, check this out. Paul was not lying to the Thessalonians. The Harpazzo, the rapture, the snatching away of the church to meet the Lord in the air is real.

But something you need to know:

A rapture that is pre-tribulational in timing, by default becomes what is called a secret rapture. You can all picture this quite easily because this is the scenario that we see played out and popularized in movies, when life is going on and then suddenly and without warning all believers on earth disappear and are with the Lord, while all unbelievers at the time must endure 7 years of tribulation, before Christ returns again, but this time coming all the way to the earth in judgement.

With a secret rapture, you actually NEED to be able to account for 2 returns of Jesus, with a space of time between those 2 returns. One return is a partial return and the other is a full return.

Let me ask you this to ponder - When you say, or sing the phrase, Even so come, Lord Jesus, what are thinking about…a secret disappearing of Christians, or Christ returning in Judgement?

Regarding a secret rapture, can we find that in Scripture?

Let’ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

What’s going on here?

Paul is speaking to a church that had expressed worry about those who had died, and how would Jesus deal with them when he comes again.

Paul assures them and us, that those who have already died will not miss out on anything. But in fact, would precede those who are alive. And this is rooted in v14, that because Christ died and rose again, there is hope for those who have died, because God “will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”

Then n v16 we have a descending of the Lord

A cry of command

AND the voice of an Archangel

A trumpet blast from God

To me this seams like one of the most disruptive and loudest events that will ever take place. Not sure how secret this is supposed to be, based on the text.

Then we see at the end of v16, the dead in Christ rising, after which those who are alive will all be gathered...

and taken to heaven? to be with the Lord?

Well, that’s not actually what it says. It says so shall they ever be with the Lord…What does this mean?

And what does it mean that we will meet the lord in the air?

There’s an interesting word that Paul uses in v17. That word “to meet” is the greek word, apantēsis, And it is in fact only used three times total in the New Testament. And it might surprise you how it’s used.

One is in Matthew 25, and it’s the parable of the 10 virgins.

Matthew 25:6 “But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’”

Acts 28:15 “And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.”

And the third is here in Thessalonians 4.

In the first two cases, those who are doing the meeting are coming out of their current places, not to go to where the other party/person came from, but to meet the person and then to continue their journey the rest of the way in.

The virgins went out to meet the bridegroom, and then came into the wedding feast.

Paul was on his way in to Rome when brothers heard of his coming, and came way out into the countryside, and the very next verse it says, “And when we came into Rome.”

I think Paul chose his words carefully here. When the dead in Christ are raised, and those who are alive are caught up, it’s not in order to be taken to heaven with the Lord, but to meet the Lord, to then descend to earth with him, having recieved our resurrected bodies, coming to earth with Him in judgement and in victory. Not a separate event, but as one glorious event at the end of the age.

Revelation 19:11-16 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

So if the rapture is not secret but public, and if it’s not before a 7 year tribulation, and there is no gap between 2 separate comings of Jesus, what are we to think and what are we to expect?

Well, regardless of Christian pop-culture, or what the Left Behind series says, or what the Scofield Bible commentary says, or what tradition says, scripture must dictate our doctrine and our view of Christianity through history. And I just want to encourage you that based on what we’ve seen today in these texts, we are not waiting for a secret rapture to escape something that’s coming.

There is something to escape, and it’s the wrath and anger of God against sinners, but the way of escape is faith alone in Jesus who took the wrath for us. We have already escaped judgement when we believed in Christ. Through trusting him we take part in the first resurrection, because over such the second death has no power.

What we wait for now is the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, our blessed hope. This is a time when he will judge the world, transform our earthly bodies, destroy Satan, and make a new heavens and earth where we will live with him forever.

Be sure of this, brothers and sisters, and non-believers and skeptics. Jesus came 2000 years ago and inaugurated his kingdom when he died and rose again. There is grace for you today. How long are we to wait? Until the Lord is ready, but if the purpose of the Kingdom is to be like that mustard seed, and that mountain, and that measure of leaven, there is so much work to be done in discipling the nations for our King, and inviting more to bow to him now.

2 Peter 3:9-13

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.