RAPTURE

One of the most compelling prophetic events in the Bible is called the 'rapture' of the church. It is taught clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, where the apostle Paul provides us with most of the available details:

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Whenever there is a 'fall asleep' in the New Testament, it always refers to dying. As those who believe in the New Covenant will be risen again, their death is merely a temporal sleep until the trumpet of the Lord is sounded and they will 'awake' from their sleep.

Amen! We will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and be with him forever and ever. But how do you really explain the term 'caught up'? Is it a slow- going process of transformation of our bodies or is it a lightning- quick disappearance? We shall find out in the story of Enoch in the Old Testament(OT).

Enoch in the OT provides an illustration of this transforming experience. The Bible says "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away"(Genesis 5:24) A day is coming, soon, when all believers will be transformed like the godly Enoch, whose earthly body was suddenly made fit to be in heaven with God.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

Wonder why God changes your body before meeting him in the air? Because, obviously, some of us are scared of heights -.-

Anyway, wanna know what follows after the Rapture, stay tuned to my new post on the 7-year tribulation.