The Ridiculousness of the Rapture
The rapture, which will occur when Jesus comes back for His Church, is about the most outrageous and ridiculous teaching in the Bible. But, if God says it will happen, you can be sure that it will! There have been many discussions in Christian circles about when this will happen, but the fact remains, no one knows. We are not told exactly when this will occur, but we are given signs to know when we are in the right season. The Lord is going to snatch us out of here before the devil knows what happened.
Make no mistake about it. Jesus IS coming back. He will come in the clouds for His bride - the believing Christians - to meet her in the air.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
16 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:
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.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Pre, Mid, or Post-Tribulation? When will the Rapture Take Place?
The tribulation is the catastrophic period prophesied in the Bible that encompasses a future seven-year period when God will complete His final judgment upon unbelieving world citizens.
The rapture is what delivers believers from "the wrath to come," that is, from the tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Some say this will occur before the tribulation, some say three and a half years after the tribulation begins, and some say it will happen at the end.
Believers today must be ever watchful and hopeful, looking for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, there may be those professing to be Christians but really are not, who have never repented, continue to be unfaithful, and will be left behind at the rapture.
But where is the rapture in Scripture? In our journey through the Bible, we see types and pictures of Jesus everywhere. Every single passage of Scripture points to Jesus Christ. To understand the New Testament, you need to know the Old because what is concealed in the Old Testament is revealed in the New. Solomon uniquely tells us something interesting with the following words.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
9That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
This passage is a memo of sorts from the mind of God to the readers of His Word that He repeats things in history. If it is recorded in His Word, we can expect the same type of thing to occur sometime, again in the process of redemptive history.
So, can we assume that if the rapture is an accepted, valid doctrine, there could be types and pictures of it in other parts of the Bible telling us of things to come? Then the question is if something is pictured in the Old Testament, is it also seen in the New? And can we determine by those types and shadows whether there will be a pre, mid, or post-tribulation rapture? The answer to all these questions is yes! There are many accounts throughout the Holy Bible, all of which point to a pre-tribulation rapture.
