The Rapture

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4:15-18.

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” 1 Thess. 5:1-2.

The apostle says that we do not need to know the time and the season, because He will come as a thief in the night. But this would seem to be a good reason for wanting to know when He will return, and many people have devoted themselves to figuring it out. They have calculated and recalculated to stir people up and get revivals going. But they have always been wrong and always will be. Jesus Himself says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Matt. 24:36. We read that the day will come as a thief. But Jesus is not a thief. He will only take those who belong to Him. Therefore that day will not come upon us as a thief.

It’s not just in our day that they try to frighten people with the day of the Lord. Paul also warned against this and said, “not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.” 2 Thess. 2:2. It is strange that they should be frightened by hearing that the day of the Lord had already come. But when we read the first verse, the matter becomes clear. “The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.” This is the rapture. “The Day of the Lord” is the day when He will come as Lord and consume the Antichrist with the breath of His mouth and take dominion for a thousand years. If the day of the Lord had come, that would mean they had not been included in the gathering together with Jesus. So it wasn’t strange that they were frightened when they heard that the day of the Lord had come. But to hear about the rapture—our gathering together with Him—is not a frightening thing for those who are ready. On the contrary. We should comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:18.

Paul goes on to explain that certain things must take place before the rapture. People have been saying for years now that everything has been fulfilled and that Jesus could come at any time. If that had been true, Jesus would already have come. But since He has not come, we know that everything has not been fulfilled. For one thing, “the man of sin” has not yet been revealed—the one whom Jesus will consume with the breath of His mouth on the “Day of the Lord.”

“For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thess. 5:3-6.

Here we read that the day will not overtake us as a thief. This is not because we know the time or the season, but because we are children of the light. We are ready to receive Him, so the thief can come whenever he wants; He will not take us by surprise. As the day approaches, God will give those of us who are ready a sense in our spirit, a witness that the day is near. We learn this from the parable of the ten virgins. They had an opportunity to make themselves ready. Because they were virgins and pure, they belonged to the day; that’s why they knew the Bridegroom was coming, and they heard the cry to go out and meet Him. Yet even among these there were some who were not raptured.

We see that when Jesus came to earth the first time—when He was born in Bethlehem—it was revealed to the shepherds in the fields. But the scribes, who were supposed to understand these things, knew nothing at all. Simeon and Anna were in the temple when Jesus was brought in. They understood who He was. This is how it will be at His second coming. That is why it is written, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Then the day will not overtake you as a thief, whenever it comes.

Even if the day of the rapture is not yet that close at hand that the cry goes up, Jesus has given us various signs so we can rejoice. He says, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” Matt. 24:32-33.

The fig tree is the Jewish people, and all the other trees are the Gentiles. Luke 21:29. There will be war, pestilence, and terror. Jesus has told us that this must be so. Then we must lift up our heads, for our redemption is drawing near. Let us consider the fig tree and see how it buds. It is the clearest sign we have.

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God.’” Ezek. 28:25-26.

This tells us that when God judges the nations, Israel will dwell safely in their land. But the Jews will have to endure much tribulation before they settle down there.6

“For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’ On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.” Amos 9:9-11.

We have seen this being fulfilled in our days; so we know that the time is near for the restoration of the tabernacle of David, which had fallen down. When the prophet saw the dead bones in the valley and prophesied that they should live, there was a loud noise and a rattling, and the bones came together. Ezek. 37:7. Since the “rattling” of World War II, the Jews have come closer together. Their graves have been opened. They were buried in their big businesses and the positions that they would not forsake; but now they are coming out of their graves.

“Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.”’” Verse 12.

All this happens during times of war, famine, earthquakes, and turmoil. In one sense we can say that the wrath of God is already poured out over mankind, but this is not the wrath—the final judgment. That will only be poured out after the Jews are gathered in their land. They will dwell there in safety while God judges all the nations around them, just as He did when they dwelt in Goshen and the plagues swept over the Egyptians. Is. 26:20-21.

“And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” Ex. 8:22-23 and 10:23.

Then the prophesy of Isaiah will be fulfilled. “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” Is. 60:2. Read also Psalm 91. Then Israel dwells in the secret place of the Most High and abides under the shadow of the Almighty. “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.” Verses 7-8.

This refers to the earthly Israel, but it also applies to the spiritual Israel, those who are Jews inwardly, and whose circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit. Rom. 2:29. When God gathers the earthly Jewish nation in Palestine, He will also gather the bride and rapture her in the clouds, forever to be with her Lord. We have already seen in Revelation 14 that the 144,000 are standing on Mount Zion together with the Lamb and are singing a new song when the angel comes and proclaims that the hour of God’s judgment has arrived. Paul said, “Comfort one another with these words.” It is truly a comfort in tribulations, in temptations, and when we have to bear His reproach to know that we will be saved from God’s judgment, His wrath, and the great tribulation. Paul says that we must put on the hope of salvation as a helmet. “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Read 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9. Just look at the following scriptures that clearly tell us that we will be saved from wrath.

“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.” Read Colossians 3:56 and Ephesians 5:3-6.

This is a warning for us to abstain from “these things.” If we do that, we will also be saved from wrath.

“Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Eph. 2:3. “Children of wrath” are those people for whom God’s wrath has been determined. They are the ones who walk according to the desires of the flesh and of the mind. We were once among them, but we are not among them any more. Don’t you believe, then, that God will deliver us from the wrath to come?

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Rom. 5:9. Just as Noah was saved from the flood by the ark, so we will be saved from wrath by Jesus. He will rapture us. He saved Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” Read 2 Peter 2:4-9.

I can comfort you with many words, you who are waiting for the Lord and are purifying yourself just as He is pure. Many people ask, “Are we not going to experience some tribulation?” There have always been tribulations. However, you must understand that persecution of Christians and tribulations in general are not the wrath of God, which has only been reserved for the ungodly. These things are a melting pot in which He purifies the gold, and we are to rejoice over it. 1 Pet. 4:12-16. God’s punishment has always been over the ungodly, and the God-fearing have had to suffer together with them even though God has kept His hand over them. None of us have been the salt and light we should have been. Therefore, even if we are not directly guilty of sin and ungodliness, we are indirectly guilty. Therefore it is only reasonable that we should taste a portion of the punishment.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matt. 24:6. All these things will take place so that the Jews are shaken and gathered together and arise from their graves and go to their land. We have already seen it and will see it even more, and it will not be a particularly pleasant time for us. “And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24.

We will experience all this and feel the pressure of the beast’s development—the beginning of the sorrows. In other words, we must go through this first half of the night, and with the help of the fig tree, we can carefully follow how far the night has come. Once Jerusalem has been liberated and the Jews are gathered there, the time for our liberation will also have come. Listen to what Bevin,7 the British Foreign Minister said at a press conference on November 13, 1945: “I will stake my political reputation on finding a solution to the Palestine problem. My one great dream is to give the Jews democratic freedom.” This is the sign of the times for us who are waiting for the Lord, and we should take heed to it as a comfort and joy.