Very recently, we celebrated Christmas, a day that has immense spiritual beauty of its own. But there is a greater hope for every believer that points to the future rather than the past. As Christians, few things give us more hope than the promise of Jesus coming back again, a reminder we often find also in Christmas. Intuitively tied with Jesus’s return is the second rapture at the end of the Great Tribulation.
However, before Jesus’s second coming, there is an earlier rapture. This first rapture is described by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians as the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the glorious transformation of those who are still alive. All will be caught up by Jesus to meet Him again in the sky and in Heaven.
1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17;
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
The return of King Jesus and the first Rapture are often tied together in many of our destiny of the End Times timeline, yet the Return and the Rapture are described very differently in Scripture. We need to be clear that they are actually separate events.
Predominantly, the first rapture captures an imagery of comfort. Indeed, the apostle Paul often encouraged the early Christians “to comfort one another with these words”, that no matter the struggles they were facing – and today’s Christians may be facing – the day is coming when Christ will return to gather His people. This rapture is essentially one of transformation.
The Rapture: A Glorious Transformation
Because the rapture of transformation has a most immediate and direct impact on us as believers, it behooves us to understand what it is. As mentioned above, when this rapture happens, believers who have died will be resurrected while those who are alive will be transformed and given new, perfect, and immortal bodies, impervious to death, disease, or decay. And all this will be done in the blink of an eye, at a moment when we least expect. How this will be possible is a great mystery, and even the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “ 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..”
Nevertheless, this momentous event will signify in a culminating way God’s faithfulness and the completion of His work in believers – the tranformation – as we read in Philippians 1:6. It is in this verse that we also come across the term “The Day of Christ”. The Day of Christ is the day when all of us as believers will be made complete in Him. Like Paul, we have an assurance that this is the future destiny of every believer.
The Day of Christ vs. The Day of the Lord
Everything that Paul wrote about the first rapture and the Day of Christ has a connotation of joy, hope, and comfort. It is the day when Christ will come and gather His people to be with Him in Heaven. Yet the Bible also describes the Second Coming of Christ as a day when He will come in glory and majesty but which will be a terrible day for those caught up in it. It is said that even the elements would burn and the stars would fall out of their places. The great kings will run and try to hide, crying for mercy as much as the lowliest beggar but will find no succour.
The Second Coming of Christ is when Jesus will return to Earth and this time He will not be a humble baby in a manger, but a mighty and powerful king. He will establish His kingdom, judge the AntiChrist and the world, and rule for a millennia. Revelation 1:14-15 reveals to us that Christ’s eyes will be like blazing fire and His feet like burnished bronze. The Second Coming will be a time of judgement and God’s triumph over evil, not a time of comfort. We believe that the Day of Christ will take place before the Second Coming, which is also described in the Bible as the Day of the Lord.
Christ will gather His people on the Day of Christ before coming to Earth to execute His judgement on the Day of the Lord. In between, there is an intervening period of great suffering on Earth under the rule of the AntiChrist and his ally the Beast, known as the Great Tribulation. On the Day of the Lord, there will be a second rapture, this time one of salvation, for those who had remained steadfast and faithful under great persecution and not succumbed to taking the Mark of the Beast during the Great Tribulation.
Understanding the Signs of the Times
Knowing that there are the two disparate days known as the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord, it is crucial we understand the signs of the times so that we may not miss one and be caught up in the sufferings inherent in the other. Indeed, mankind has always been fascinated with knowledge about the future, from the time of the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks, up to Nostradamus, and even today. In times of uncertainty throughout history, we have always tried to find security by trying to scry into future events. But God has handed down His own word to us in the Scriptures so that we know the signs of the times, guided by our Creator Himself. This should give us great assurance of His love and faithfulness and that He does not want us to be caught in His terrible wrath or the sufferings of the Great Tribulation.
In Revelation 6, we read about the harbingers of the End Times. They come in the form of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Earlier this year, we wrote an article and outlined the events that have shaped many people to believe that these horsemen may already be in our midst. The white horseman have already come in the shape of the global epidemic of COVID-19 conquering the world without a single military weapon. The red horseman, representing war, can be seen in the ongoing conflicts between nations, particularly between Russia and Ukraine.The black horseman, symbolizing economic collapse and inflation, is expected to come sometime in 2025. We have seen some signs of economic stability even in 2024. If this were to occur, it could potentially cause an even greater global instability.
Scripture does not tell us explicitly when the Day of Christ and the Rapture of Transformation will happen. Even Christ Himself said only God the Father knows. However, Scripture does advise and counsel us time and time again to be watchful and ready. Though Jesus said that the day will come unexpectedly, He also comforted His disciples to not let their hearts be troubled:
John 14:1-2
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
This promise assures us that Jesus is preparing a place for us in Heaven, and we can trust in His return.
Comfort in the Rapture During an Age of Uncertainty
The rapture of transformation in particular is comforting to the believer. Irrespective of whatever challenges we may currently go through, God promises us a most glorious life ahead for all of us. In that great moment of time, caught up into the ecstasy of Christ Jesus, one will no longer have to go through pain and trouble anymore. We will be in His now endless presence, within the “Father’s house”, where one would face no more grief or tears.
It is while the world around us appears to be unstable that this rapture reminds us of our final hope. This hope can only be found in Christ. His promise transcends whatever troubles we have in this world. The rapture will be a moment that brings comfort and joy to all those who believe – a time when one will be reunited with all loved ones who have been taken ahead of us into glory, and a time when we shall experience fullness in the promises of God. It reminds us that our hope is not in this world but in the eternal life God has prepared for us.
The Importance of Salvation
On the other side of the coin, the rapture is also a reminder of great urgency, and it is about nothing less than salvation. While there are two raptures, the second one will be much harder. Since the first rapture will be instant, many will be caught off guard, and many of those taken unawares will be left behind. It behooves us, as believers, to share the gospel and make sure our families, friends, and all those that cross our paths know about the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Let’s not allow anyone to miss the promise of this rapture. It’s up to us to spread the message of salvation before it’s too late.
The promise of the rapture is a comfort, a hope, and a calling to live faithfully and help others find the hope that we have in Christ. Let’s take up our responsibility to share the good news, to bring people into a restoration of relationship with God through Christ, and to help them experience the same joy and assurance that we have in the promises of God.
A Call to Be Ready
The first rapture can take place at any moment of time. In the wake of this truth, there is a call upon each believer to live in a spirit of expectation, with our hearts fixed upon the Day of the Christ. Our lives should be characterised by faith, hope, and joy, and the knowledge that He is coming back for us.
We are called to live out our faith, in proclaiming the gospel, and through a way of living that is honoring to God – in expectancy of the rapture. Our lives are a testament to all around us about the hope which we have in Christ.
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Good Christian article.