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. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
The world loves to mock Christians who accept the Bible’s prophecy concerning the Rapture. And in a way, it’s hard not to blame them. How the world howled in glee when Harold Camping made such a fool of himself with his prediction that the Rapture would occur on May 21, 2011. And they laughed at the deluded folks who quit their jobs and sold everything they had to donate millions of dollars to fund Camping’s Family Radio campaign to spread the false Rapture message on thousands of billboards across the United States. But Camping was not the first Rapture date-setter, nor will he be the last, if the Rapture does not occur soon. As their prediction dates came and went, the very idea of a Rapture became an embarrassment to mention unless you were a glutton for ridicule. Today, the Rapture is seldom mentioned apart from an occasional reference during a Gospel meeting. It is not a taboo topic but it is one that we tend to be very careful who we discuss it with. For many Christians, doubts are growing as to whether the Rapture might just not be what all those references in the Scriptures were talking about. Certainly, when you read today’s text, it sounds like an event straight out of a science fiction scene. But it is not science fiction, it is a coming reality! And we rob our souls of a glorious hope if we don’t live daily in the glorious expectation of it.
The Rapture presents us with four great elements. These occur in a specific order, although they all fit into the twinkling of an eye described in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The first element, described in the previous verse, is the resurrection of all of those who have died in Christ. Just think about that; instantly, millions of graves throughout the world, most of them long forgotten, will yield their victims as death is swallowed up in victory (I Corinthians 15:54). For all these centuries, God’s people have laid the bodies of their departed loved ones in the earth in anticipation of this victory over death. The second element is the catching away from this earth of those of us who are still alive when the Rapture occurs. This will not occur before the resurrection of the dead, but it will not lag by much! Both will fit within that twinkling of an eye (some say one eleventh of a second). Instantly, all that we are occupied with here on earth will be gone forever as we ascend into the air. What will it be like? Your imagination can answer that question as well as mine can.
The third and fourth elements of the Rapture are in reality one element and its extension into eternity: meeting the Lord in the air and being forever with Him. As dramatic and spectacular as the first two elements of the Rapture will be, the meeting with our Lord will exceed it all. In fact, that meeting will be everything that we long for and everything that our Lord desires for us. To recite the words of the old hymn, it will be worth it all when we see Christ.
The Rapture. It is coming. Be ready. Be prepared to be amazed. -Jim MacIntosh