I want to consider these issues from a biblical perspective. The Christian’s Bible has been around for 2000 + years. Its messages are for every individual on the face of the earth; regardless of whether you follow any particular religion, or not. The word of God is universal in its scope.

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

The Rapture - What is it?


You can look through the New Testament and you won’t find the word ‘rapture’ mentioned. Yet Christians often refer to The Rapture.
Collins Concise Dictionary defines the word rapture as:
      1.        The state of mind resulting from feelings of high emotion; joyous ecstasy
      2.       An expression of ecstatic joy.
      3.       The act of transporting a person from one sphere of existence to another.

This third definition gives us the contextual meaning of what Christians refer to as The Rapture; ‘The act of transporting a person from one sphere of existence to another.’ In my blog ‘Heaven or Hell’ we considered what resurrection is. It is our spirit and soul reunited with our dead body. The born again believer takes part in the resurrection of life; not the resurrection of judgement.

Let’s consider some verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 15; we will look at verses 51 to 57.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The apostle Paul is telling the Corinthian believers that not everyone has to die to take part in the transformation. This transformation takes place instantly. Those believers who have physically died and whose soul and spirit are in the Hades part of Heaven are all resurrected at the same time. Those believers who are alive on earth are transformed a split second after those who are raised from the dead.
Verse 53 tells us that, ‘this corruptible must put on incorruption.’ My belief is that this refers to the dead believers whose bodies have been in the graves. Their bodies have decayed and corrupted away. The verse also tells us that, ‘this mortal must put on immortality.’ My belief is that this refers to the living believers.

What has taken place? God has given every New Testament believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and every Old Testament believer in the True and Living God a brand new spiritual body. This body cannot be destroyed; it is incorruptible! The believer cannot die; he has put on immortality. This spiritual body has been designed by God for us to spend eternity in Heaven; in His very presence. It is a body designed for Heaven; not planet Earth.
Philippians 3: 20, 21 states, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may conform to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 tell us, “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
The rest of the world won’t be aware what is happening. The transformation (rapture) will take place in a micro second. One moment the born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will be here; and the next moment meeting the Lord Jesus in the air! Millions of people will suddenly vanish! The world will not see what takes place! All the true Christians will be gone.

If this was to take place today, would you be part of it? What will it be for you – the resurrection of life, or the resurrection of judgement?
Only you personally can make this choice.


Jon Peasey

[All Scripture quotations are from the New King James version]




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