Pastor Elie Humuli
Does the rapture evoke feelings of joy, fear, uncertainty, or indifference in your mind? In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, the Apostle Paul speaks about the rapture, warning against ignorance (verse 13) and later emphasising that the words he speaks are from the Lord Himself (verse 15). This urges us to pay special attention to scriptures around rapture and the end times.
The word “rapture” is mentioned nowhere in the Bible; however, its concept is illustrated. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the phrase “caught up” is used, referring to “harpazo” in Greek (‘to be taken’). Harpazo describes believers being caught up or taken, which is the rapture in essence. It is the culmination of the first coming of Christ, as the Lamb of God. Fulfilling prophecies, He know fulfilled the promise to reign in Glory with both the dead and alive in Him.
In His second coming, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world comes as the Lion of Judah to judge. He stops in the air when we are raptured, yet “His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” when He comes to reign with us and to establish the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven; the kingdom built on the Holiness, righteousness and power of God (Zechariah 14:4; 9)
The rapture, thus, falls in between the first and the second coming of Christ; as it is written in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, here Jesus will come with a commanding shout. He will be accompanied by “the voice of the archangel” and “the sound of a trumpet,” and in an instance, all believers (the church) will be taken up and transformed into a new body to be with the Lord forever.
As the salt is to perishable goods to be preserved, the church in today’s world embodies the manifested presence of God’s, preventing corruption from being rampant (Matthew 5:13). It is the light of the world that the darkness cannot overcome (see Matthew 5:14). keeping evil from prevailing in its full capacity.
However, when we are taken, the church will come to an end and evil will reign, leading to the 7 years of tribulation. Scripture refers to these years as “the great tribulation” (see Matthew 24:21), “the Day of the Lord” (see Isaiah 2:12), “the time of Jacob’s troubles” (see Jeremiah 30:7 ) and “the day of wrath” (see Revelation 6:17).
We can then, confidently stand on the fact that these years will come after the rapture, thus, the rapture is a blessed hope for every believer (see 1 John 3:2-3). It is a blessing that spares us from the day of wrath. Knowing this also encourages us to keep ourselves pure; we do this by seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). The Will of God is for every single person to be saved, so when we do not teach the rapture, we are robbing the church of sanctification and drawing others to Christ.
Summarily, rapture is a blessed hope that purifies us. It provides us with an escape from the great tribulation. Thus, as Titus 2:11–13 puts it, let us live with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God as we look forward to it. This means that, as Christians, we do not look forward to death but to the glorious transformation of our bodies that will be perfect like Christ’s, to an eternal fellowship with the King of kings (see Philippians 3:20-22). Therefore, be encouraged and filled with joy, brethren, for God chose to save us (see 1 Thessalonians 5:9).
