Rapture
Rapture means to "snatch away, carry off, seize or abduct".
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, key verses being 16 and 17
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The day of Rapture is the day when the living saints will be translated then caught up, carried off, snatched away or transported from the ground up into the air to join the Lord and be with him forever. This will be preceded by the resurrection of the dead in Christ, which will take place the same day.
On that day, the Lord descends from heaven and stops midair, he does not step on the ground.
John 14:1-3
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
On that day, to fulfill what he promised the Church, the Lord will come and take away his holy people, and transport them to heaven.
The wedding of the Lamb
As a result, the wedding of the Lamb is the union between Christ and his wife the Church, and it happens in heaven when the Church is finally with the Lord where he is, following the Rapture.
Revelation 19:6-8
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
The scripture above confirms further that the set up of the wedding of the Lamb is in heaven. As the church enters heaven, they are identified as wearing fine linen, bright and clean.
Today invitations to the wedding of the Lamb is ongoing and Christians are preparing for that event which will take place soon (Matthew 22:1-14).
Luke 17:34-36
34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.
36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left”
The Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of the Lord
What happens after both the Rapture and the Wedding of the Lamb?
Luke 12:35-36
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,
36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
See, this wedding that we are anticipating, will finally take place and become a pastor event. After that wedding banquet, the Lord will return to the earth again as shown in the scripture above. Then the question is: what will he be coming to do? And what will be the time duration between Rapture and this return that follows the heavenly wedding?
Revelation 19:11-21
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
king of kings and lord of lords.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.
20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
The question we are seeking to answer is this: what is the Lord coming to do on earth when he returns from the heavenly wedding? And what will be the time duration between Rapture and this coming that follows the wedding?
First, we see that the Lord will return with the armies of heaven, and among them will be the saints who were raptured earlier, and they will be dressed in fine linen, bright and clean . This return at the end of the Great Tribulation is commonly known as the second coming of the Christ, distinct from the first coming during which he was born by virgin Mary, did ministry, was crucified, resurrected and ascended to heaven; and also distinct from the day when he comes to Rapture his Church - he remains in the air and does not set his feet on the earth, but takes the Church away to heaven. In the second coming he will set his feet on earth. The reason why he comes is to fight against the beast and his armies at the end of the seven years of Great Tribulation. He comes to unleash the fury and wrath of God on the rebellious people of the world. He will fight and overcome the beast. He will also be coming to establish his millennial reign during which he will rule the nations of the earth with an iron scepter.
It is clear, therefore, that during the seven years of Great Tribulation that consumes the earth, the holy Church will not be here, but will be in heaven in the wedding. It is also clear that Rapture will take place before the onset of the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 3:10
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
This scripture further confirms that the Lord will Rapture his faithful Church just before the time of trial, when the whole world will be tested, and that is the Great Tribulation. Prophet Isaiah also spoke about this evacuation of the saints in Isaiah 26:19-21. This also conforms to how God rescued Noah through the ark before he unleashed the floods on earth; and the way he rescued Lot and his two daughters before he rained fire and sulphur on Sodom from heaven. This manner of evacuation means that the Great Tribulation that is coming will bring total destruction to the whole earth, similar to the total destruction that the floods brought to the earth; and the total destruction the fire and sulphur brought to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Again, in the second coming, at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will come openly and all eyes will see him (Matthew 24:29-31). But when he comes to Rapture, he comes like a thief, without any visible sign, and snatches the Church away (Matthew 24:36-44).
The Rapture of the Church is imminent. Let us prepare in repentance and in seeking holiness.
Salvation Prayer
Lord Jesus, I repent of all my sins. Thank you for coming and dying for me so that I may be saved. I receive you today as my Lord and Savior. Please delete my name from the book of death, and write my name in the book of life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and prepare me for the coming of the Messiah. Today I am born again! Amen.
As a new believer make sure that you get baptized in water, and join a church that teaches repentance and righteousness so that thereby you may be helped to prepare for the kingdom of God that is near.