The Rapture

or

The Return of the Lord Jesus Christ for his Bride.

Philippe R. Paquette

Authorized King James Version (in all this article)

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

John 14:2-4 

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this, we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

Having been extensively on many Social Media Networks an especially on the “late” G+ Christian Communities where I was privileged to be a member of almost 100 Christian Communities and Owner of 7 Communities with over 40,000 members and read by 1.4 million readers, I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that many dear brothers and sisters in Christ are “stuck” in what I would call spiritual obtuseness because there are too many voices out there and they understandably lack the clarity and comprehension of a most important portion in the Bible that Christians calls the Rapture.

Yes, yes, I know. The word “Rapture” is not in the Bible… just like the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible and, even the word “Bible” is not in the Bible. (covered in the bottom notes).

The absence of a word does not negate the truth of it.

There is a Bible, there is a Trinity and there is a Rapture.

The absence of a word does not equate to the absence of its verity. There are some articles and YouTube videos on this topic that are so spurious that I would be tempted to consider them amusing if it was not the seriousness of the topic. Allow me, in all humility to clear this point. I have been learning the Holy Scriptures for the past 48 years.

A Bible text 
can only be understood by its context,
otherwise, one has a pretext.

PRP

This is like Star Trek’s “Prime Directive”. Make sure that what you are taught “holds” from Genesis to Revelation.

Everything should always be taught to you within the context of each text. 

What the Rapture is NOT.

The Rapture is mistakenly often related to the verse in Matthew 24 

“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”  

Matthew 24: 40

This verse has absolutely nothing to do with the Rapture. It speaks of a future time. This same verse is shared again in Luke 17:34-36. 

“I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” 

These two verses are to be applied to another event, one that comes after the Rapture.

Matthew 24 and Luke 17 will happen at night. Not the same event as the Rapture at all.

In Matthew and in Luke, the one that remains, in these 2 references, is the one saved!

The one “taken” is lost.

Luke 17:37

So, this is NOT the Rapture.

At the beginning of Matthew 24, Christ’s disciples specifically ask Him for a sign of His return and the end of the age (verse 3). In this light, verses 40-41 can be taken to mean that at Christ’s return a separation will take place between those who attain to the first resurrection and those who do not (John 3:3-8; I Corinthians 15:50-53; Revelation 20:6).

However, a secret rapture is nowhere contemplated in either Matthew 24 or Luke 17 and the Rapture is not happening at the “end of the age”.

Another “error” is based on the “out of context” teachings of Ps. 110:1

“The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

These “erroneous” teachers will teach that there is no Rapture… and the Lord will remain seated on the right hand of God until the very end. Well, again, “text”, “context”, “pretext”. If one reads the entire Psalm 110 (see below), one will find that this verse is related to a later time (again).  And to add to this, in Acts 7, Stephen (the first known martyr in the Bible) saw “Jesus standing”… and then, John saw our Lord walking among the candlesticks in Asia (Turkey) Revelation 2 & 3.

Another misunderstanding about the Rapture stems from this verse relating to the word “Trump“.

“Trumpet” 

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” 

1 Cor. 15:51-52

Oh that “Trumpet”!

You see, there are 7 trumpets in the book of Revelation so many Christians believe that if there is a “Rapture”, it has to do with the 7^th and last trumpet of Revelation.

Wrong!

The Trumpets of Paul are not the same as the Trumpets of John.

In the case of Paul, he was referring to what all Jews understood. When Israel were in battle, they had 3 sounds of the Trumpet.

The 1rst Trumpet:

The first was to get ready,

The 2^nd Trumpet:

The second was to ensure that they were circling Gideon

The 3^rd, the “last Trumpet” was:

 – “advance to battle. A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran…” against the enemy.

This is the “last Trumpet” Paul alludes too. Time to go!

(3) It is of interest that the Romans copied this procedure later in time and used the same 3 trumpet sounds on the ground of battle.

1) Pick up your stuff and get ready;

2) by now you should be ready and wait for the last trumpet and

3) Charge!

So, the confusion is between the Pauline Trumpets and the Johannine Trumpets. 

(4) The Johannine Trumpets are not related to the History of Israel and are exclusive to the book of Revelation. Are they symbolic or literal? I leave that up to you. Lastly on this topic of what the Rapture is not. “There is debate as to the timing of the rapture. 

3 (or is it 4) main schools of teaching in relation to “when” the Rapture will occur.

Pre-Trib.

The pre-tribulation rapture teaching says that the rapture will occur before the seven-year tribulation period (a period described by the Prophet Daniel).

Mid-Trib.

The mid-tribulation rapture teaching says that the rapture will occur 3 1/2 years before Christ returns, or halfway through the tribulation period of seven years

Post-Trib.

The post-tribulation teaching says that the rapture will occur at the same time as the return of Christ, or at the end of the seven-year tribulation. 

Nul-Trib. ;-) (I just invented this word ;-)

Others, like the Roman Catholic Church will say there is no such thing as a “Rapture”. (*)

All of these positions fall within the realm of Christian orthodoxy.” (5). 

So beloved Christian, stop “mushing” up the Bible will you? Stay within the context of a Scriptural text please. Thank you ;-)

To our topic – what is the true RAPTURE? 

What is the genuine character of a true Christian relating to the Rapture?

It is not our deliverance as much as it is our deep longing to be “with HIM”! Jesus in Glory happens to be our HOPE. So do not ask “when will I be in Glory” but ask “when shall I see the Glory of the Lord”.  

That is what “Christocentric” means and we all ought to be.

Allow me to encourage you and to have your heart in the right place.

In our Biblical context, the definition of “Rapture” is “the carrying of a person to another place or sphere of existence” and associated with the words:

– bliss,
– beatitude,
– transport,
– exaltation,
– ecstasy. 

To know when the Rapture shall occur, one must understand the “context” of Scriptures and especially the book of Revelation.

What is the Book of Revelation? (A·po·ka′ly·psis). When typing in Google Search the word “Apocalypse”, you get this definition:

“a·poc·a·lypse əˈpäkəˌlips/Submit noun:

1. the complete final destruction of the world, especially as described in the biblical book of Revelation.

2. an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale. Example: “a stock market apocalypse”.

What the “Rapture IS” (pre-trib).

Now, let us stop for one moment to understand this eeriest, frightful, ghastly, grim, gruesome, heinous, and horrendous meaning of the times of the Apocalypse (Revelation). The period explained in the book of Revelation is… “BAD”. It is God’s wrath on the Nation, the false Church (nominal Christians) then on Israel, the unfaithful.

But at the very end, God remains a Savior and faithful to His word and at the end of Revelation, God will bring salvation to Israel as God promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3).

Now, we know that all the true believers in Jesus today become Christians and as such, they become part of the “Spouse of Christ”. This was an unknown Mystery, revealed only in the New Testament, but we know that Christ’s “Spouse” was already in the heart of God the Father before the foundation of the world… before the cosmos… before the entire Creation of all things.

The “Bride” comes from past Eternity in the Father’s heart and will forever remain, at Christ’s side, forever. He died for HER.

“…Christ also loved the church and gave himself for (Her)…”.

Ephesians 5:25

There are many symbols and insinuations in the Old Testament to the Bride of Christ… but only figuratively.

The Bride of Christ is formed from Pentecost and will end at the Rapture.

All else will be the “friends of the Bride”.

1) all the Old Testament saints;
2) all the New Testament saints before the Pentecost (Holy Spirit coming on earth replacing Christ on earth) and
3) all the saints in the book of Revelation starting in chapter 4.

Please notice Revelation 4:1 (John is a figure of the Rapture).

To truly enter the greatness of WHO WE ARE as Christians, please, take the time to read my reference no. (6). If you are not “profoundly edified” by that article about the beauty of the Bride, I will refund you. (lol). Note 6 refers to a great writer of the last century, the great Hamilton Smith.

Thus, my last question to you dear reader is this.

If you genuinely love your wife and if you had the ability to ensure that she would not suffer but be preserved from your knowledge that your house would be in a horrendous fire and all occupants would perish, would you allow her to remain in the house and come and save her after her receiving 3rd-degree burns or would you immediately come and take her out of the house?

The same with Christ. He died for her. To suppose that the Spouse of Christ is to “suffer” the Tribulation (either the first half or all of it) is forgetting our Lord’s sufferings, the Cross, all HIS work, HIS love and HIS gruesome death and all who she truly is to HIM.

In all respect, Mid-trib, Post-trib (and Null-trib) belittle the work of Christ… The ones teaching such error abase our Blessed Lord and his belittle His sufferings to nothing. If the Cross is insufficient to save her from any further harm, then, Christ died in vain. I recognize that this is not the intent of those Christians, but their teachings are nevertheless inconsistent with the entire context of the Rapture.

The Rapture is our HOPE, a deliverance, promised to us by Christ, our beloved Bridegroom. Yes, believers will suffer in the Tribulation, but these will be part of the converts from the Gospel of the Kingdom, the one published in Revelation, the ones after the Rapture and they will be, like to believers of the Old Testament, the “friend of the Bride”. No one, during the Gospel of Grace (the Spouse) will ever feel one single iota of the judgment of the Tribulation, and far less the Great Tribulation (the second half of Daniel’s 7 year period).

Notes, asterisks (*) and references:

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”

Matthew 13: “16 – 17

(*) The Rapture was a revealed mystery that God divulged in the New Testament through the Apostle Paul. As history advanced, many important apostolic teachings were forgotten by the Church. For example, Martin

Luther had to bring back the fundamental teaching that we are saved by faith. For many centuries, the leader of the Church taught that salvation was through men, money and works. But Luther brought the lost truth back to the true believers.

Notes:

Words or expressions not found in the Bible, yet they are true (scriptural).

Atheism is the faith system of belief that there is no God.  “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). 

Divinity which means the divine quality or godlike character.  Yet, we speak of the godlike quality of the Lord God. See Psalm 139. 

Incarnation which means the word (God) who became flesh.  This is clearly taught in the Bible (John 1:1, 14 as one of the numerous examples). 

Monotheism is the teaching that there is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:8).

Rapture is a truth forgotten for many centuries by Christians like other important truths. 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18

Also not in the Bible are the words “Bible”, “Ascension”, and many more.

None of these words are in the Bible… does that make them “anti-biblical”? Not at all!

References:

• (2) Psalm 110 A Psalm of David. 

1 The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 

2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 

3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 

4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. 

5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. 

6 He shall judge among the heathen; he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. 

7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore, shall he lift up the head.

• (3) Judges 7:17–22 

TRUMPET 1

“(v. 17) He said to them, “Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. (v. 18) When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, 

...then you also blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’” (v.19) So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets... 

TRUMPET 2

(TRUMPET TWO) and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 

TRUMPET 3 (The last trumpet)

(v. 20) When the three [b]companies blew the trumpets (FINAL TRUMPET NO. THREE) and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” (v. 21) Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. (v. 22) When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.”

• (4) Revelation 11: 15 

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

• (5) https://carm.org/rapture-biblical
• (6) http://www.stempublishing.com/authors/smith/Bride_of_the_Lamb.html

#philippepaquette