The Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church
The Book of Revelation paints a sobering picture of the future “Tribulation,” a period of unprecedented global calamity and divine judgment upon the earth Jesus returns to establish His kingdom.
However, the Bible reveals a critical detail about this impending Tribulation: it does not begin until after the church has been supernaturally “raptured” or taken up to meet the Lord in the air.
Here’s a look at two key biblical passages that affirm this blessed hope for believers.
The Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4
In 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul clearly describes the church’s rapture. He writes about believers who have already passed away. While their spirits are with the Lord, their bodies sleep in the ground. He assures their bodies will be raised as Jesus’ body was raised.
This raises the question, “What about us?” He says, “If you are alive at this time, you’ll be raised, too. Only, it won’t be a resurrection from the dead but a rapture of the living. Same effects. “We who are alive… will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
Resurrection is the physical ascension to Jesus and the bodily transformation of believers who have died, and rapture is the ascension to Jesus and the bodily transformation of believers who are alive.
Resurrection is the physical ascension to Jesus and the bodily transformation of believers who have died, and rapture is the ascension to Jesus and the bodily transformation of believers who are alive.
Read Paul’s own words,
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [believers who have already passed away], so that [when a fellow Christian dies] you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. [Just as Jesus bodily rose from the dead, so will everyone who believes in Him.] 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up [raptured] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so, we shall always be with the Lord.
Several crucial details emerge from this passage:
1. The rapture is initiated by the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ in the clouds
2. The dead in Christ will be resurrected first
3. Living believers will then be “caught up” or “raptured” to meet the Lord in the air
4. After this, believers will forever be with the Lord, transformed and glorified
The Transformation in 1 Corinthians 15
The apostle Paul provides further insight into the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15, where he describes the miraculous transformation that will occur for believers at the time of Christ’s return.
First, he addresses why we must be transformed:
1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable (1 Cor. 15:50)
Our bodies are made for this planet, they aren’t fashioned for Heaven’s realm. They must be changed and made like Jesus’ body after His resurrection: He could enjoy a donut and grilled meat yet also be anywhere He chose instantaneously: Heaven, Earth, locked rooms, the road to Emmaus, etc. We need our bodies to be made like His if we’re going to be able to be all we’re meant to be.
Then Paul springs the good news:
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:51-53).
Both passages clearly teach that at the time of the rapture, the bodies of believers who have already passed away will be resurrected.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states, “The dead in Christ will rise first“
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 says, “The dead will be raised imperishable“
Both passages indicate that believers who are still alive on this day will be caught up in the air to be with the Lord.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.“
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 says, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
This passage adds that the rapture will utterly transform believers to be in God’s presence from then on: “We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” and “We shall be changed,” adding how this perishable body will be made “imperishable” (un-sufferable, un-hurtable, unbreakable, unrestricted, glorious) and this mortal body will be made immortal.
In relation to the Book of Revelation, the Tribulation period described in chapters 6-18 will not begin until after the church’s rapture.
Difference Between the Rapture and Christ’s Second Coming
First, the rapture is essentially the ascension of the living (along with the resurrected dead) to meet and be with Jesus in the heavens. The second coming is when Jesus Christ physically returns to the earth with His glorified church to establish His millennial reign, kingdom, and glory on earth.
The rapture takes place before the Tribulation, whereas the second coming occurs after the Tribulation.
Second, the rapture takes place before the Tribulation, whereas the second coming occurs after the Tribulation.
Third, the rapture is the next prophetic event to occur with no preceding sign, making it an imminent hope for believers in every era. The second coming of Christ will be preceded by seven years of divine wrath, vindication, and tribulation.
My favorite points regarding the rapture are: 1) these mortal bodies will be supernaturally transformed into imperishable, immortal, glorious bodies fit for heaven and earth, and 2) after the rapture, we will forever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Conclusion
The pretribulation rapture of believers is a glorious and imminent hope for all who trust in Jesus Christ. As we eagerly await Christ’s return, let us remain steadfast in our faith, share the gospel, and live in hopeful anticipation of that blessed day when we meet Him in the air.