The rapture of the Church, what is it?

There are many topics that arouse curiosity regarding religious, biblical and Christian topics. In this article we explain one of them in detail: the rapture of the church, since it is understood as the moment in which Jesus will come to Earth, and will take all those who have faithfully followed in his footsteps to heaven, to meet with God his creator.

The rapture of the church

The rapture of the church is a term that refers to an important aspect within religion, but that is not literally mentioned in the Bible as “rapture”, however it has been understood as such in various extracts contemplated in the sacred scriptures. Etymologically speaking, the word snatch derives from Latin, and its meaning is “to carry, abduct, remove or commit some snatch”.

The rapture of the church is that moment in which Jesus is going to descend from heaven, in search of all those people who have loved him during his stay on this Earth, who may well be alive or dead, since they have been his faithful disciples throughout history.

In this sense, the faithful lovers of God, that is to say, the true Christians have as their stated goal to be part of the rapture, to be sought by Christ to ascend to heaven and be with him for all eternity. These will be the last times, moments that believers are willing to live to appear before the Lord.

In addition to this, it can be said that the rapture of the church is going to be an event, in which God is going to remove his faithful from this Earth, in order to pour out his just judgment on the world that will begin in the times of the tribulation. When reviewing the biblical text, certain parts can be found in which the rapture of the church is alluded to, not in these literal words but rather a broad vision of what it will be like is put forward; in this sense, you can review first Thessalonians 4:13-18, and first Corinthians 15:50-54.

From these biblical paragraphs it is understood that God is going to resurrect all believers who have died, and is going to grant them glorified bodies; then he goes to depart from Earth with those believers who are still alive, who will also be given their glorified bodies.

Since the time will come when God is going to descend from heaven with his trumpets, with a shout and with the voice of the Archangel, and just at that moment it will be the dead of Christ who will rise first, followed by all those who are still alive, and therefore remain on Earth.

God’s objective will be to snatch the living and the dead in the clouds so that they may receive the Lord in the air, in order to remain eternally with his presence. This event will generate an instant transformation of the human bodies, to be prepared to live in eternity. From the bible it is also extracted that when Christ is revealed, we will all be similar to him because we will be able to see him as he really is.

It should also be noted that the rapture of the church must be distinguished from the second coming, since they are different designations. In this sense, the rapture of the church consists of the coming of the Lord in the clouds, in order to meet his believers in the air. On the other hand, the second coming consists of the event in which the Lord descends to Earth to stop at the Mount of Olives, generating a great earthquake that will be followed by a firm defeat of his enemies, forever.

The theme of this rapture, also understood as the rapture of the church, was not used in any section of the Old Testament, which is why it is considered as a mystery according to what Paul stipulates, in the following revelation: “Behold, I say to you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be transformed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the final trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.”

In various texts contained in the Bible, it can be evidenced that Jesus taught that He would return to Earth. In certain excerpts, he gave both direct and indirect warnings to his disciples, in order for them to be prepared for the event. In this sense, the disciples of Christ understood that this era that he lives in today would end with his coming; and it was even the guarantee of his return to this Earth, one of the truths with which He dealt with comforting his followers at the time of his death.

Since then, its believers maintain the hope of the coming of Christ, and await him with love and a clean heart.

At the moment that Christ ascended to heaven, two angels addressed the waiting disciples, repeating the promise that he would return. Thus, all of them vehemently declared that Christ would return to this Earth in the same way that he had left, so it is literally concluded that his second coming is going to be visible, physical and real.

In the epistles contained in the New Testament, reference is repeatedly made to the second coming, and through the passages of the Bible that refer to this subject, the idea of ​​imminence is used. However, there is going to be a period of time between the first and second coming, but all the teachings on this subject hold that it is going to be a sudden event, happening without warning. For this reason, believers must always be in a continuous state of preparation, expectant and attentive.

Who will be raptured?

In the Holy Scriptures, specifically in John 14:3-4, a section is contemplated in which Jesus tells his disciples the following: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and I will take you to myself.” myself, so that where I am, you may also be. And you know where I go, and you know the road”. From these words it can be clearly deduced that there is a path to follow, which guides us towards the Lord to live together in his presence for all eternity. In this sense, all those people who love Jesus know where the road leads, and what they must do to be able to travel along it.

This group of people is contemplated in Revelation 14:4-5, where the following words are stipulated verbatim: “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes… no lie was found in their mouths, for they are blameless before the throne. of God”.

Here it is clear that the people who are going to be snatched from the Earth, to live forever under the infinite light of the Lord, are going to be those who during their stay in this world were faithful believers and followers of God, lived under his commandments and they confessed the prayer of faith. These are the ones called to live forever in the grace of the Almighty.

Continuing with this thread, the people who will be part of the rapture of the church are those who have enduringly followed in the footsteps of Jesus, by the grace of God have done what they know to be right and good, and have become what they are. that they were called to be, that is, light and salt in this world since they fulfill the designs and the sacred word.

What these words mean is that in their lives no trace of injustice, anxiety, complaint, dissatisfaction, discouragement, worldliness, laziness or vanity was found, or on the contrary they were opportune in their sincere repentance in favor of ingratiating themselves with the Celestial father.

All these human beings are collectively called “the bride of Christ”, since they have remained correct, doing what is good and true without fluctuating in each of the circumstances that arise, just as her husband did during the past years. days he was on this Earth; consequently, they are pure and therefore worthy to be called the wife.

To close this idea, it is pertinent to mention the following verse from the book of Revelation 19:7-8: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory; for the wedding feast of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself. And it has been granted to her to clothe herself in fine linen, clean and bright; because the fine linen is the righteous actions of the saints.”

When will it happen?

In the Bible it is not stipulated exactly when the rapture of the church will take place, in fact, Jesus himself indicates that he himself does not know. In Mark 13:32, the following is stated: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.”

However, in Matthew 24 Jesus does refer to a series of signs, which can be observed to know when the time will be for his coming to Earth. Some of these things happen in the time we live in today, which is why it can be deduced that there is not much time left for the arrival of that moment.

It is known that time passes inexorably forward, and while the world continues to sink deeper and deeper into darkness, one can be certain that the midnight to which Jesus alludes in the Parable of the ten o’clock virgins, it is not far away. In this sense, time should be used well because the days are bad, just as the apostle Paul suggests in Ephesians 5:16.

However, for all those who live in the light as Jesus is in the light, they have no reason to worry, since they only have to wait for the arrival of that day, with great joy and expectation. This is the goal that believers have, while their existence lasts on this Earth, to be prepared for the moment when their husband comes looking for them, that is, they live with the certainty of the eternal, waiting for that moment.

Who will be left at the rapture of the church?

Jesus Christ also explains that obviously not all believers are going to be included in the rapture of the church, and all this is contemplated in the story about the wise and foolish virgins, which can be read in Matthew 24:1-13. In this regard, the so-called “foolish virgins” are those who will remain on Earth at the time the rapture takes place.

This group includes all those who do not have a personal life in communion with Christ, in the sense that although they may have a good appearance on the outside, secretly they continue to live in sin, since they continue to do what they know to be incorrect.

The so-called foolish virgins have been content simply to have a good testimony before men, outwardly showing that they have committed no sin.

They are probably people who did good deeds, in the sight of everyone, but they were not able to overcome their inner sin, that is, they were not able to purify jealousy, anger and pride, everything that is hidden inside each one of us. . Therefore, Jesus comes in search of a wife who has been purified, who does not have an internal stain, as can be read in Ephesians 5:27: “… in order to present her to himself, a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle. nor any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

How do you know if you will be part of this rapture?

Knowing a little about this topic, many people in the world will wonder if their conduct will make them worthy of being part of the rapture of the church, which would obviously lead them to reflect on their lives and their actions. In the book of Luke 9:23, Christ expresses the following words:

“If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” It is clear then, that everyone who wishes to part with Christ must be able to renounce his own will, in order to follow in his footsteps and be considered one of his disciples.

To this it must be delimited, that all that person who maintains his hope in Christ and in his arrival, purifies himself, that is, cleanses himself of his internal sins and does not have any stain, since they do what is good and correct, according to God’s design.

In this order of ideas, to follow the path of Christ and live under his grace for all eternity, what every person must do is deny himself and overcome his sins. They must be complete and free from sin both externally and internally, since it is not only what is transmitted outward for the testimony of men.

Every believer, faithful, Christian or religious, who wants to be part of the group of people who will be snatched from this Earth, for the sake of ascending to heaven and reuniting with God to live in his presence eternally, must keep his heart clean, purify your soul and be free from sin. This must be a constant, since it is not known for sure when the day that the rapture of the church will take place will be, so everyone is in expectation but they must be prepared, with the living and eternal hope of its opportune arrival.

In order to be in communion with God, it is always important to read and review the holy scriptures, since the Bible stipulates each and every one of the steps to be followed in order to ingratiate oneself with God. It is not an easy path, but it can be followed once the designs outlined there are put into practice, which are its main tools, trusting in his word and having enough faith to vehemently believe in them.