Elements of the Rapture

2018-11-22

The Lord will return for His people, and that will be a great day indeed. In the Bible, this day is called the Day of Christ, but we often call it the rapture. This day consists of the following elements:

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. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

1. The Lord will descend from heaven in clouds. Jesus’ coming in the clouds is synonymous with His coming in great glory. When the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-36) and the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11) were finished, a cloud filled each, signifying God’s glory. This return of the Lord will be the same way.
2. Angels are sent. The voice of the archangel is heard, and angels will gather the elect together, both those who have died and those who are alive in those days.
3. The trumpet sounds. This will be heard when the angels descend.
4. The elect is gathered. The elect is another word for believers. The dead shall rise first, and the remainder of the living will be caught up together with the dead saints.