The Rapture

1 Thesalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent

16 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:

17 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.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I’m not trying to be controversial in this writing, as I know there are many thoughts on the matter of Christ coming for His church. Some believe one thing and others believe another. Many say there is no such thing as this thing we call the Rapture. Their belief that because the word does not appear in Scripture it does not exist, I will give them that but the meaning of the word Rapture is there in verse 17. The words caught up come from a word in the Greek harpazo, pronounced har-pad'-zo. Which means to catch away, seize, pluck, pull or take by force. This tells me that there is going to be a catching away. If you noticed Paul starts this discourse by saying “for this we say unto by the word of the Lord”. So that statement lets me know that God had instructed him to write this unto the Church.

Many say this train of thought just came into existence in the early 1800’s but I submit that Paul was looking for the great catching away in his day. Again in verse 17 he says “we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them”, Why would there be a catching away of the living you may ask? The scripture below tells us why.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

“God hath not appointed us to wrath”, God’s wrath is going to be poured out on this world one day and He does not intend for His own to suffer that wrath.

There are many more scriptures, Old and New Testament,that point to the view of a literal Rapture. I am not looking for a debate, if you believe as I do that’s good but if you hold a different view that’s fine. It really has nothing to do with salvation. But the one thing you have to have, whatever your view on this doctrine , is that you must be saved and the only way to be saved is to be born again. I have heard it said many times of the saved, “I’ll see you’re here or there or in the air”. Praise the Lord.

Have a great day.