The Rapture
by
William M. Wachtel
A term frequently heard in Christian circles today is "the Rapture." When it is mentioned, other terms are often attached to it, such as "pre-tribulational," "mid-tribulational," and "post-tribulational." The present study is not intended to discuss these adjectives and their meaning, but simply to find out what is meant by the term "Rapture" itself, in the way that the Bible connects it to Christ's second coming.
The word "rapture" does not occur in the common versions of the English Bible, but the idea is based on a Greek word found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where the Apostle Paul used the word harpazo, a verb defined as meaning "to snatch away, to take away, to rob, to steal, to carry off"--actions that imply force-fulness or even violence. The same Greek word is found in Acts 8:39, where we are told that "the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more." In this account, Philip was suddenly and bodily removed from the presence of the Ethiopian eunuch, whom he had just baptized, and was trans-ported miraculously to another location. He was "snatched up" or "carried off."
The English word "rapture," in fact, is based on a Latin word that means "to seize." We see this same Latin root in our words "raptor" (a bird that seizes its prey and carries it off) and in the words "rapid," "rape," and "rapine." These all contain the idea of force and even violence.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the subject is clearly the return of the Lord Jesus and the resurrection of His people at His coming. (The same subject is found in 1 Corinthians 15:22,23; Philippians 3:20,21; Hebrews 9:28 and other texts.) Verse 13 reveals Paul's concern about those believers in Thessalonica who had lost loved ones to the enemy Death (1 Cor. 15:26). He did not want them to grieve hopelessly, as the pagans did. He wanted to show them that there was a promise of future life for those who had died, who were "asleep in Jesus."
In verse 14 he uses the illustration of Christ's own example. Christ died and God raised Him again from death (1 Cor. 15:15; Acts 2:24,32; 17:30,31; Rom. 10:9). Likewise, says Paul, God will bring forth (from death) those who have fallen asleep in Christ. The verse is speaking to two parallel occurrences--Christ's death and resurrection and His people's death and resurrection. The "bring" has nothing to do with being "brought from heaven" when Christ descends, as often misinterpreted, but rather has to do with being brought forth from the dead, as Christ was. Compare 2 Corinthians 4:14, where Paul says we are raised "with" Christ. He is the 'firstfruits" of the First Resurrection. He and His people are all part of the same resurrection!
Verse 15 mentions the "coming" of the Lord Jesus. The Greek word is parousía, the term that is used constantly in the New Testament for the return, the second coming, of Jesus. Paul shows that the resurrection cannot occur until Christ returns. He states that the believers who are still alive at that time do not take precedence over those who have already fallen asleep in Christ. He explains why in the next two verses.
Verse 16 tells us that the first step in Christ's return is for Him to "descend from heaven." When this happens, He will no longer be "in" heaven. He will then have departed from heaven, as implied in the words "descend from heaven." But the Apostle Peter declares in Acts 3:19-21 that Christ must remain in heaven until the time comes for all things to be restored as the Old Testament prophets have foretold. When Peter says that God will "send" Jesus from heaven, he implies that Christ not only will not then be in heaven any longer, but also that it will then be time for the promised restoration to begin. We see, thus, that Christ's bodily departure from heaven at His second coming brings about--of necessity--the "times of restoration." The two events are linked together inseparably!
Verse 17 lets us know that any believers still alive at this time, having been changed and given immortality (1 Cor. 15:51-57), will be caught up ("snatched away," "raptured") together with the resurrected "dead in Christ" to meet the Lord in the air. This could be called the Grand Reunion of all the faithful with their Lord! (Compare Heb. 11:39,40.) The result of this reunion, Paul tells us, is that from then on "we shall ever be with the Lord." Wherever He is, His people will be also!
Verse 18 declares the purpose of this whole passage: to give Paul's readers comfort and encouragement. These promises are for us as believers today! The truth of Christ's return and the resurrection of His people to immortality should give us comfort, reassurance, and hope in times of sorrow and each day of this mortal life!
There is nothing in
this passage that teaches or implies that we meet Christ in the air so that He
may take us to heaven, after that meeting takes place in the air. Rather, since it is His "coming"
that is in view, we know that the Bible teaches that He will return to this earth when He comes. Jesus promised, "When the Son of man
shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit
upon the throne of his glory" (Matt. 25:31). Christ's "throne of glory" is the
throne of David to be given to Him at that day (Luke 1:32,33),
a throne to be established in
This means that after our meeting with Christ in the air, He will continue His descent down to the earth, accompanied by all His saints and all the holy angels. Our going out to meet Him is to allow His saints to be the first to welcome Him back and to accompany Him to His inheritance and ours--the earth (Heb. 1:2; Matt. 5:5).
An interesting parallel to this
meeting is the one in Acts 28:13-16. The
Apostle Paul was on his way to