Rapture Characteristics

The Rapture

"I will come again and take you to myself."

John 14:3

Millions of people worldwide will have disappeared without a trace. Impressive sounds were heard in the sky, and there are thousands of eyewitness accounts of large groups of people flying through the air like flocks of birds. What happened?

The word "Harpazo" in the Greek source text of the New Testament is translated into Latin as "Rapturo," from which the English word "Rapture" is derived. In Dutch, this is often translated as "Rapture." The word means: 'to suddenly snatch away'. In case of the church, it means: taken up to heaven. Jesus gave this promise directly to his disciples on the night he was betrayed, and this promise was later repeated in detail through the apostle Paul.

Many books and films about the rapture have created the impression that it all will happen in a fraction of a second. But the Bible says otherwise. Several stages can be distinguished.

First, various sounds can be heard from heaven. The first and most important passage in the Bible about the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. It starts as follows:

'For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God...'

 

The second thing that happens at the rapture is that all deceased believers are raised from their graves. The text continues with:

'...and the dead in Christ shall rise first...'

This event can also be read in a second passage of the Bible that concerns the moment of the rapture, namely 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will 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 will be changed.”

 

The third thing that happens at the rapture is that living believers are changed. This happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. It is not mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4 but 1 Corinthians 15:51 states: “We will all be changed, at the last trumpet, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…” The “twinkling of an eye” refers to an element of the rapture, namely the change of living believers. This happens with lightning speed.

 

The fourth event of the rapture is the rapture itself, in which all believers, the changed believers and the resurrected believers, meet the Lord in the air and ascend to heaven together with the Lord. From that moment on, they will always be with the Lord. A third text indicates that the rapture goes heavenward and not back to earth. This text comes from the intimate conversation in the upper room between Jesus and his disciples, just before Jesus’ suffering. In John 14:1-4, Jesus says to his disciples: “Do not be anxious, but trust in God and in me. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, would I have told you, ‘I am going to prepare a place for you?’ If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.” Then I will take you with me, and you will be where I am.”

This biblical text refers to the Jewish wedding, in which the groom, after paying the dowry, first prepared a dwelling for himself and his bride, then fetched her (at a time unknown to her) and ushered her into his newly built home during the wedding. The notion that the church would return to earth with the Lord immediately after the rapture contradicts biblical data. The believers disappear with Jesus into heaven. It is a rapture into heaven. Afterward, a period of great calamity begins on earth. This period is called "the great tribulation," or "the hour of temptation".

 

Today, the doctrine of the rapture of all Christians just before the onset of the most difficult period in earth's history is fiercely contradicted and ridiculed. Just search for "rapture before or after the tribulation." However, the totality of all biblical data allows only one conclusion: Only after the Christians have been evacuated from the earth does darkness descend. The following texts underscore this view:

 

(1) Revelation 3:10: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

Jesus is speaking here to the church in Philadelphia, a church that will exist just before his coming. It's important to note that the Jesus doesn't say that He will "keep from temptation," but rather that He will "keep from the hour of temptation upon the whole world." John always refers to a specific period in history by "the hour," here a period of temptation for the entire world. This period of worldwide temptation will only begin after the rapture of the church. It is the period that is described from Revelation 6 until Revelation 19. The church is kept from it.

 

(2) 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7: “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the departure comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself to be God. Don't you remember that I told you these things while I was still with you? And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only now someone is restraining him until he is taken out of the way.”

Loosely translated, this reads: “The period in which the Lord Jesus will lay his claim on the earth and judge the world will only come after his believers have departed. Those judgments will only come when the world has completely fallen to the lawless one.” And that lawless one can only come when the Holy Spirit, who restrains him, is taken away, with the rapture of the church. For the Holy Spirit dwells in the church.

 

With the rapture of the church, the so-called age of the church comes to an end, in which God gathers a group of people from all the peoples of the earth who together form a heavenly city. This group of people is referred to in various ways: as the temple of God, as the body of Christ, as the bride of the Lamb, and as the New Jerusalem. With the consummation and rapture of the church, God refocuses his plans on his ancient people, Israel. These plans have been on hold for 2,000 years.

 

The Command

The rapture of the church is the transfer of all who believe in Jesus Christ to heaven. This will happen in the future, probably very soon. What are the characteristics of this rapture, and how will it be felt on earth?

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul writes the following:

'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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

Here are mentioned three attributes with which the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven:

1. A commanding cry

2. The voice of an archangel

2. The trumpet of God.

The word "commanding cry" in the Greek text is "KELEUSMA," which means: an order, a command, a commanding cry, whether to incite or urge animals, such as horses by riders or dogs by shepherds, or as a signal for people, such as rowers by their skipper or soldiers by their commander. The word appears only once in the New Testament, and here. A unique word for a unique event.

Never before has something like what 1 Thessalonians speaks of happened, and never will it happen again. It is a unique event in the history of heaven and earth. Central to this event is a command from the Lord. After all, He holds "the keys of death and Hades." He has the power to raise the dead and to transform mortal bodies into immortals. He calls himself “the Resurrection and the Life.”

 

In a discussion with the Jews of his day, Jesus said:

'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth' (John 6:28,29)

For those who have believed in him, that moment of “coming out of the graves” has arrived once the rapture will take place. His voice is the command that calls them out of the tombs. Just as his voice once sounded at the tomb of Lazarus, his friend. This Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days when Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” At that, the deceased came out, his hands and feet still bound with grave clothes (John 11:43).

The loud voice of Jesus had almost never been heard during his ministry on earth. In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear God say of Jesus:

"Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust." (Mathew 12:18-21)

 

There are only four occasions on which Jesus cried out here on earth:

1. At the Feast of Tabernacles, six months before the crucifixion, in the temple. 'Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.' (John 7:28,29)

2. At that same Feast of Tabernacles. 'In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' (John 7:37,38).

3. At the resurrection of Lazarus, above. Jesus called Lazarus from the grave.

4. From the cross. Twice Jesus cried out from the cross. First:

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mathew 27:46)

A little later:

"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." (Luke 23:46)

The Epistle to the Hebrews says about this:

"He who, during the days of his flesh, with vehement cries and tears offered up both prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save him from death, and was heard for his godliness."

Following Jesus' cry from the cross, many dead were raised:

"Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

 

The word used here for 'appeared' - emphanizō - in the meaning of someone presenting himself, is only mentioned four times in the New Testament. Twice in the case of Jesus, about how his disciples would see Him after his resurrection: 'I will love him and manifest Myself to him' - that was about Him being in his resurrection body. (John 14:21,22). And once in case of Jesus about his presence before God in heaven: 'For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but in heaven itself, not to appear in the presence of God for us.' (Hebr.9:24) Therefore one might assume that the saints that rose at the cry of the Lord on the cross were risen in their 'resurrection bodies', never to die anymore. That is probably why the stayed in their graves till the resurrection of the Lord in order for Him to be the true firsfruits from the grave (1 Cor.15:23).

 

Such a loud voice of Jesus will be heard again, but this time from heaven and worldwide. And worldwide, all who have died "in Christ" will be raised from the dead. The voice of Jesus will have an even greater power than at the tomb of Lazarus. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus calls Himself "the Alpha and Omega." A little further on, the voice of the glorified Jesus is described as follows:

“...And his voice was like the voice of many waters” (Revelation 1:15)

The voice of Jesus in Revelation corresponds to the voice of God Himself:

“When he utters his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth: he makes lightnings with rain, and brings forth the wind out of his treasures.” (Jer.51:16)

'You.'

What does this murmur of many waters sound like?

Like the combined sound of a river, a waterfall, and the waves?

Upon seeing the Lord, the apostle John fell as dead at his feet (Rev.1:17). If only Jesus' voice would be heard during this event, people worldwide would already be staring at heaven in awe, in utter confusion at this unparalleled event.

 

'Soon the long night will be over and morning will break.

Your Jesus is coming, his voice is like music to your ears.'

 

The Voice of the Archangel

The Lord Jesus will one day descend from heaven to share with those who believe in him the glorious results of his work on the cross: the redemption of their bodies (Romans 8:23) from the grip of imperfection, decay, and death. This descent of the Lord is accompanied by three manifestations: A call of command, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Because the text says "the voice of an archangel," some might suggest that Jesus is accompanied by an archangel. Now, it is quite possible that an archangel is present in Jesus' company during this descent, but this text does not indicate this. It is not about an archangel, but only about "the voice of an archangel." The descent is accompanied "with the voice of an archangel." The Greek root for "with" here is "AND." This word has an "instrumental" meaning. Jesus calls with the voice of an archangel, like someone "blowing a trumpet." He uses a voice like that of an archangel. This sound can be heard alongside the first mentioned 'crying of a command', which will sound like 'the voice of many waters'.

 

That noise alone was enough for John to fall "dead at the feet" of Jesus. The voice of the archangel is an additional factor. The term "archangel" appears only twice in the Bible: in our text (1 Thessalonians 4:16), the "voice of the archangel," and in Jude 1:9, where Michael is called "the archangel." That verse concerns a dispute between Michael and satan over the body of Moses (Jude:9). We also read about the archangel Michael in the book of Daniel (where he is not called an archangel - Daniel 10:20). Michael came to the assistance of another angel in his battle against heavenly powers associated with the world empires of that time.

The voice of the archangel testifies to the battle still being waged in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). The archangel Michael has repeatedly been associated with God's adversary, Satan. In the end times, this archangel will assist the people of Israel in their time of great trouble (Daniel 12:1). He does this, among other things, by casting out satan from heaven, some time before the start of the 3.5 years great tribulation (Revelation 12:9-12).

 

The angel, assisted by Michael, appears to Daniel above the Tigris River. The voice of this last angel, whose identity remains hidden, is described in chapter 10 of Daniel, as well as its effect on those who hear it:

“…the sound of His words was like the sound of a multitude. I, Daniel, I alone saw the vision, but the men who were with me did not see the vision. A great terror fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves… Then I heard the sound of His words. And when I heard the sound of His words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, and my face to the ground.” (Daniel 10:7-9)

The angel’s voice is like the sound of a great multitude and was so terrifying that Daniel’s company fled, and Daniel fell into a sleep of death, similar to how John experienced the appearance of Jesus in Revelation: he fell as dead at his feet. (Rev.1:17).

 

Perhaps there's no great difference between the "roar of many waters" and the "roar of a multitude" because crowds of people are compared in the Bible to raging waters. This happens, for example, in Revelation 17:15): "The waters you saw … are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues."

This example of the voice of a great multitude bears a strong resemblance to the roar of waters. When this voice gives commands, it might sound like a crowd in a South African stadium, a Turkish stadium, or a German stadium.

Jesus's authoritative command will be heard worldwide in the firmament of heaven as the roar of many waters and a great multitude. He speaks with an authority that raises the dead. The world's population will never forget this unparalleled, terrifying experience. It carries a formidable warning:

 

"See that ye refuse not Him that speaks. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaks from heaven" (Hebr.12:25)

 

Gods Trumpet

The moment will come when the Lord Jesus descends from heaven to resurrect or transform all who have believed in Him for 2,000 years into immortality. Then He will bring them into His Father's heavenly dwellings. He will do this with a command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God. What will that sound like?

The command speaks of the turmoil of battle. Warriors are called upon to prepare or to form a group. The voice of the archangel sounds like a battle cry, since the archangel Michael is engaged in constant conflict with Satan, our adversary. And the trumpet of God is also an instrument in the battle. The Old Testament contains several texts where the trumpet is blown as a signal in battle:

'I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war' (Jeremiah 4:19)

Literally, it says: trumpet blast, the alarm of war.

In the New Testament, the trumpet is also seen as an instrument of war:

'For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?' (1 Cor.14:8)

To get an idea, here you hear the sound of a ram's horn, which served as a trumpet in Israel.

And here you get an idea of ​​God's trumpet and here.

Recently, sounds reminiscent of a trumpet have been heard in the air worldwide. Listen HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.

These could come from SPACE. God can use his trumpet to create elements within creation (natural causes) or from outside creation (supernatural causes).

The story of Jericho is well known, where the people of Israel marched around the city of Jericho 13 times in a procession, trumpets sounding, before the walls fell and the city was captured.

"And it happened as Joshua had spoken to the people: the seven priests bearing the seven ram's trumpets, went out before the Lord and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. Those prepared for battle went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed behind the ark, blowing the trumpets as they marched." ( (Josh.6:13)

Also well-known is the story of Gideon, who addressed the 300 men with whom he defeated the Midianite army as follows:

“When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpet around the whole camp, and say, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’” (Judg.7:16)

The trumpets were instrumental in achieving victory.

Thus, God’s trumpet is a sign of the battle that is underway at the moment Jesus comes to take His own from the earth. It is not a battle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Eph.6:12)

At its core, this is a battle between truth and falsehood, between freedom and slavery, between righteousness and lawlessness, between life and death. This battle began at Sinai, where a people enslaved for hundreds of years in Egypt and captive to the idolatry and lies of Babylon received God's holy and righteous laws, which—if obeyed—put an end to all injustice.

Therefore, the giving of the law at Sinai, in Arabia, as the beginning of the battle of God's law against the adversary's lawlessness, is the first occasion in the Bible where a trumpet is mentioned. IT IS GOD HIMSELF WHO BLOWS THE TRUMPET ON SINAI.

“On the third day, when morning came, there were thunders and lightnings, a thick cloud, and a very loud trumpet blast on the mountain, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice.”

The trumpet blast was so loud that the people trembled. The sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. They were not to touch the mountain where God was about to descend.

“On the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set a boundary around the mountain for the people, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or even to touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain will surely be put to death.’ Then the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. The Lord called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

How different it will be when Jesus comes for his church. Then his people will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This will happen to the deafening sound of God’s trumpet.

Paul also speaks of this trumpet in his second letter to the Corinthians. He calls it h