The timing of the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ

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13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

I just tell you a few things here about the timing of this event.

38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:38-44

The Bible says that things ‘will be going on as normal in the world one shall be taken one shall be left’. When is it going to happen? When life is going on as normal, people are outside in the field or they’re inside in the mill.

In Luke’s version in chapter 17, which is a parallel version, it says,

31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken παραλημφθήσεται [paralēmphthēsetai] and the other left. 36 Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.” Luke 17:31-36

People are going to be sleeping in one bed, so they’re going to be asleep. Therefore, you have three categories of human activity: – being outside, – being inside, and – being asleep.

This implies that it doesn’t matter which of these you’re doing, if you’re on the right side you’re going to be taken but, if you’re on the wrong side you’re going to be left behind.

And the right side is the side of those taken.

By the way, the word used in Greek is paralēmphthēsetai which means to be taken alongside, in a good sense. So, you will be taken alongside to be with the Lord in a good sense, to be saved from the Judgment which is coming in the coming days.

Jesus comes ‘as a thief in the night’, unexpectedly to take those who are His out of the Devil’s domain (the Devil is the ruler of this present world darkness) into God’s domain. And we’re told to be ready because we ‘don’t know the day or the hour’.

On that basis, we should be ready now. How do you get ready? Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you believe what I told you in the first part of this talk?

Now, this does raise a question about the event known as the Rapture. We have a bit of difficulty with the Rapture because some people believe it happens before, some people believe it happens in the middle, and some others believe it happens at the end of the Tribulation. And sometimes, people get very upset about these differences if you say something which they don’t believe.

Now, first of all, I have to say that this event has not yet happened, so being too dogmatic about it can be a little bit out of order.

We know that it happens unexpectedly and that there are other signs which we’ll look at later on.

Well, to be a little bit flexible, personally, I do believe that there are good reasons to think what we call ‘the pre-tribulation Rapture’. What Paul says about this in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 is relevant here, so we’ll read that. He says,

15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

First of all, you notice this is a word of comfort to believers. So, if you believe this is a comforting word it’s because you’ve got a hope that you’re going to be taken out of this world to be with the Lord.

We’re not just facing a time of horrible judgment, the Tribulation and the Antichrist, we’re facing a time where we’re going to be taken into the presence of the Lord.

And those who are alive and remain will be taken up, and those who died before the Rapture will be taken up first, ‘then those who are alive and remain at the time will be taken to be with the Lord as he descends from heaven with a shout and the dead in Christ 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’.

We not actually told what ‘in the air’ means, but it means out of this realm. So, we’re going to be out of this earth going into a place where God is somewhere in the air.

Now, whether that is in the upper atmosphere or where He takes us then to Heaven, there are certain things we are not told the details of. But we are told we’re taken out of this world to meet with the Lord in the air.

One of the things which occurs to me is that, if you’re in this world, you have a body which functions in this world but which won’t function out of this world. If you’re taken up into space, then, unless you’re in a space suit, you won’t be able to survive.

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

So what’s going to happen is you’re going to have a new body which is what Corinthians tells you that moment your body is going to be changed from this mortal body into an immortal body, from this body which is corruptible, which is subject to sickness, Etc., into an incorruptible ἄφθαρτοι [aphthartos] body which will never get sick, never get die, and never get old.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible ἄφθαρτοι [aphthartos], and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 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.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-54

That’s good news, isn’t it? You’ll have a new body.

There is a question about when this event comes.

Does it come before the Tribulation? If so, it could happen any time now.

Does it happen in the middle of the Tribulation, 3 and a half years into the Tribulation after the Antichrist has started his rise to power but before he gets to the final point of the last three year half years of the Tribulation which is the most severe time?

Or, does it happen at the end of the Tribulation, in which case you go through the whole of the Tribulation period?

Christians get pretty excited about this one because it does make a difference. If you’re going to be taken now, then you won’t go through the Tribulation period.

Some people say ‘You don’t think you will go through the Tribulation’ also say, ‘Well that means you’re going to have soft Christians who won’t be ready to suffer’. Actually, you could still suffer in this time. It is the case that many Christians are already suffering because of their faith and, if the Lord delays His coming, we could end up in a fairly Antichrist situation in this country in which we could be suffering as well for our faith. Therefore, don’t worry, you can suffer for the Lord.

Whether we suffer the extreme Tribulation is another question, a question I’m not going to go into details now because time’s going on and it would take some time to go through this. But whatever happens, we are told to be ready for the coming of the Lord at a time we do not expect.

So, the main teaching which comes out of this concept is that we need to be ready to meet with the Lord.

Now we also need to be ready to meet with the Lord because we don’t know the hour of our death.

That’s another issue which is universal to every generation. Whatever age we live in, we need to be ready to meet the Lord, we need to be living our lives for Jesus.

We also need to be spreading this message because there are a lot of people out there who are not ready to meet the Lord, and we want them to be saved not lost, including our families.

If the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation, then it is God’s Way of keeping us from the hour of trial which is coming on the earth.

In Revelation 3:10 we are told,

10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

That’s from Revelation 3:10, and it’s part of the Word of the Lord to the church in Philadelphia. Notice He says there, ‘My command to persevere‘. So, one of the things God wants us to do whatever our circumstances, whatever the truth in this matter, is to persevere, to continue in the faith. ‘You are my disciples if you continue in the faith’, Jesus says.

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. John 8:31

So, one of the messages he has here is to continue, not to backslide, not to fall away but to continue in the faith in Jesus Christ. He says,

I also will keep you from ἐκ [ek] the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Revelation 3:10-11

And He relates this to His Second Coming. He says,

I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

The ‘hour of trial’ must be the time of the Great Tribulation. The word used there in the Greek for from is the word ἐκ [ek] which means ‘out of’. So, there is a concept that shows how you are going to be kept out of the time of the Tribulation though some say what he’s saying is ‘I’m going to keep you in the time of Tribulation. I’m going to keep you through this time of trouble as I kept my church through times of trouble in the past’, which God has done.

This does parallel the time of Noah and his family going into the Ark to be saved from the flood which came as a judgment on the earth. It speaks of God’s rescue plan for His people.

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Genesis 6:9-14

Those are reasons why I believe we should be looking now for the coming of the Lord which could come at any time. We should be ready by believing in Jesus. If I’m wrong on this then, we should be ready for a time of tribulation and trouble which will come with the time of the Great Tribulation which could be bearing down upon us.

When you look at all the signs taking place in the world today, either way, what you need to do is to get right with God, believe in Jesus, and follow Him be filled with your Holy Spirit so that you’re ready to meet with the Lord.

There are interesting parallels in the Old Testament which I’ll read to you and which I found quite significant.

Isaiah Chapter 26 verse 19 says,

19 Your dead shall live;
Together with my dead body they shall arise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;
For your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain. Isaiah 26:19-21

Therefore, the Lord is coming out of his place then to judge the world, taking His people into a place of safety before He does. That is an interesting scripture.