By Mike McEuen, Pastor, New Beginnings Baptist Church • Ferris, Texas
“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” (I Thess. 4:16-17).
We have described here what is commonly called the Rapture. The word “rapture” never appears in the Bible, but it certainly does have a clear Biblical basis. The New Testament was written in Greek, which was translated into Latin. The Latin word for “caught up,” used in verse 17 here, is “rapturo,” from which we get our English word “rapture.” The word rapture literally means “to catch away,” and that is exactly what is going to happen when Jesus Christ comes again. One day, right in the midst of all of our ongoing, daily activities, Jesus Christ will come again. And all believers will be caught away from the earth to be with Him forever!
Let’s put this truth together right here. When a Christian dies, he or she goes immediately to Heaven. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:8). Our saved loved ones are alive with Jesus Christ right now and for all eternity! But there is coming a day when Jesus is going to leave heaven, and He is bringing with Him all the saved who are in Heaven. They are going to come with Him in the air, and instantaneously they will receive a glorified and eternal body. At the same time, believers who are living at the time of the Rapture will be instantaneously changed and receive our eternal, glorified bodies.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2).
“(Jesus Christ) shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil. 3:21).
Then all believers will return to Heaven with Jesus, “And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Jesus is coming! At any moment, at any time! Are you ready to meet Him?
