Please read this entire post. Don’t just get to the part you don’t agree with and then dismiss it.
THIS IS THE MOST ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS ON THESE TOPICS.
These are among the most abused and misunderstood teachings of our generation. What people believe about these two TOPICS (I say topics, not events because one of these topics as taught by many church leaders will never happen, therefore it is not an event) again, what people believe about these topics influences much about what they think the Bible says. The misrepresentation of what the Bible says on these two topics is the source of much confusion on many related scriptures and teachings. Indeed, the bad teaching on these two topics has been a massive disservice to the elect of God.
The Sequence of Events:
When you read the book of Revelation the sequence of the major events is straightforward. Go there and read it for yourself. (below is not a complete list, just those relevant to this post)
1. The rise and fall of the Beast and the False Prophet
2. Satan is bound in the bottomless pit (abyss) for 1000 years
3. The kingdom is given to the Saints of the Most High. They will rule the nations of the earth with a rod of iron for the next 1000 years. – At the same time – The first resurrection of those who were martyred in the tribulation.
4. After the 1000 years are completed Satan is loosed from his prison (abyss) and goes up upon the earth and deceives the nations into rebelling against God’s kingdom on earth.
5. Fire comes down from heaven and destroys the armies that have rebelled.
6. Then the Great White Throne judgment. -and at the same time – The resurrection of all the dead – this is the second resurrection.
7. The current universe (our heavens and our Earth) passes away. The new heavens and new Earth are created.
8. New Jerusalem descends from heaven to the new Earth.
What you will NOT find in the book of Revelation is any mention of a rapture or any mention of Jesus returning to THIS earth to sit on a throne in THIS Jerusalem. Now I am going to show you exactly what the bible does teach about these two topics. Bear with me PLEASE and I will show you the scriptures and explain them to you. I promise you, if you will read this entire post you will understand what the bible really says.
I will show you the scriptures that describe the event commonly referred to as the Rapture. The Greek word is harpazo meaning catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
I will show you the scriptures that describe the event commonly referred to as Jesus’ second coming. The Greek words are parousia, epiphaneia, and apokalupsis, (in various tenses).
The truth is these two events take place at the same time. When Jesus appears (in the air) all of the dead will be raised. Those that belong to Jesus will meet Him in the air. The rest of the dead will go immediately to the Great White Throne Judgment and await our arrival. Then those of us who belong to Jesus who are alive and remain at that time will be caught up together with them to meet Him in the air. This is the final day, the last trumpet, the end of these heavens and this Earth. This happens after event #1 above (the great tribulation) after event #2 above, after event #3 above (the millennial reign), after event #4 above, after event #5 above, and at the same time as event #6 above. Then everyone will appear at the Great White Throne judgment.
THIS SEQUENCE OF EVENTS IS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD. THE BOOK OF REVELATION REALLY LEAVES NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
Alright, here we go.
First let’s take a look at harpazo, the Greek word most associated with the Rapture. We will look at the thirteen occurrences of harpazo in the New Testament, King James Version, and see how the word is used in context and how it was translated into English in those verses. That should give us a good feel for the word.
ἁρπάζω, harpazō, Total KJV Occurrences: 13, English word used in translation:
caught, 5 times, Act 8:39, 2Co 12:2, 2Co 12:4, 1Th 4:17, Rev 12:5
Acts 8:39, And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. (The word “harpasen” (ἥρπασεν) is used, which is the third person singular aorist active indicative form of “harpazō.”)
2 Corinthians 12:2, I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. ( The word “harpagēn” (ἁρπαγῆναι) is used, which is the aorist active infinitive form of “harpazō.”)
2 Corinthians 12:4, How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (The word “harpagē” (ἁρπαγὴ) is used, which is the nominative singular feminine form of “harpagē” derived from “harpazō.”)
1 Thessalonians 4:17, 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. (The word “harpagēsometha” (ἁρπαγησόμεθα) is used, which is the first person plural future middle indicative form of “harpazō.”)
Revelation 12:5, And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (The word “harpasthē” (ἡρπάσθη) is used, which is the third person singular aorist passive indicative form of “harpazō.”)
force, 3 times, Mat 11:12, Joh 6:15, Act 23:10
Matthew 11:12, And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (The word “harpazetai” (ἁρπάζεται) is used, which is the third person singular present passive indicative form of “harpazō.”)
John 6:15, When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. (The word “harpazōsin” (ἁρπάζωσιν) is used, which is the third person plural present active subjunctive form of “harpazō.”)
Acts 23:10, And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. (“harpázein” (ἁρπάζειν), which is the present active infinitive form of “harpázō.” )
away, 1, Mat 13:19,
Matthew 13:19, When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. (The word “harpazetai” (ἁρπάζεται) is used, which is the third person singular present passive indicative form of “harpazō.”)
catcheth, 1, Joh 10:12
John 10:12, But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. (“harpázēi” (ἁρπάζει), which is the third person singular present active indicative form of “harpázō.”)
pluck, 2, Joh 10:28-29 (2)
John 10:28, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (“harpasei” (ἁρπάσει), which is the third person singular future active indicative form of the Greek verb “harpázō.”)
John 10:29, My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (“harpasei” (ἁρπάσει), which is the third person singular future active indicative form of the Greek verb “harpázō.”)
pulling, 1, Jud 1:23
Jude 1:23, And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (The word “harpazontes” (ἁρπάζοντες) is used, which is the present active participle nominative plural form of “harpazō.”)
According to the Strongs Concordance, this is every occurrence of G726, which Strongs translates as harpazo in the New Testament. I have supplied the actual tense of the word in each verse to help the reader understand how and why the translators chose to use different words or phrases in their translations. Overall it gives you a good understanding of the word when used in various tenses and contexts.
People who have been convinced by others that there will be a rapture sometime before or during what most people refer to as the Great Tribulation have bought into some non-Biblical teachings.
In order to make the rapture teaching work they say that there is a ‘special resurrection’ of the dead in Christ, and/or that Jesus is coming for His ‘church’ as if some believers are in the church and apparently there are others who are not. For example, the 144,000 true disciples of Jesus that follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Apparently, they are not members of His Body.
Or all the believers in Israel and also worldwide who refuse the mark of the Beast and refuse to worship the Beast who are killed because of their beliefs. Somehow, they are not part of the church either.
And then there are the SAINTS that the Beast and the False Prophet make war against. They can’t be members of Jesus’ church because they are still on Earth during the Tribulation.
The whole idea is non-Biblical.
If you stick to what the Bible says then the harpagēsometha happens when it is supposed to happen, at the last trumpet, the last day, at the second resurrection of the dead, after the Tribulation, after the 1000-year millennial reign, after the little season that Satan is let loose, after all the nations of the Earth surround the Holy City, after fire comes down from Heaven and destroys those armies, and when Jesus appears in the clouds. On the final day of this heaven and this Earth and not one moment before.
Paul speaks of that day to the Thessalonians.
1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 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:
1Th 4:17 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.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
There is nothing wrong with this prophecy, it is perfectly fine. Just read what it says.
Verse 14 says those who have died in Jesus will come with Him when He appears. ( died ‘in Jesus’ means those who kept the faith until the day they died.)
Verse 15 ...we that are alive and remain, unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent ( The word prevent here means precede. The King James version of the Bible is written in Early Modern English, which differs slightly from contemporary English. In contemporary English it would read, ‘we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep’.) them which are asleep.
Verse 16...and the dead in Christ shall rise first ( when Jesus appears He will be descending from Heaven, there will be an audible shout, the voice of the Archangel, and the sound of the trumpet in heaven will be heard, then the dead in Christ will be raised and will be the first to meet Him in the air, above the Earth.)
Verse 17 …THEN we which are alive and remain (AT THAT TIME) shall be caught up together with them (those who were dead in Christ) in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with Him.
Ok, again, this is straightforward. These verses are talking about when Jesus appears and some of the events that occur at that time. Primarily these scriptures talk about a resurrection of those who are ‘dead in Christ’ taking place at His appearance. At that same time the rest of His Body, His elect, His “ekklēsia” , His Church, all those who are in the faith, believers, whatever you want to call them, whoever belongs to Him and is still alive AT THAT TIME will be ‘caught up’, “harpagēsometha” (ἁρπαγησόμεθα), raptured, together with the dead and will meet Him in the air.
The erroneous teaching occurs in not properly understanding when this event takes place.
People will try to gather scriptures from all over the Bible and tell you that they talk about the rapture. We got the Pre-tribulation people with their scriptures, we got the Mid-tribulation people with their scriptures, we got the Post-tribulation people with their scriptures, etc. The problem with all those scriptures is, if they don’t line up with Paul’s prophecy, then they don’t line up.
Paul spoke of this event in very specific terms. He tells you exactly what is going to happen in the order it is going to happen. We will address this in detail in a few minutes but first I want to point out the general failure of the idea of a rapture before the very last day.
Paul is writing to believers that are alive. He is writing to them about believers who have already died.
He is writing to people who are both Jews and Gentiles. He is writing to them about people who were both Jews and Gentiles. JESUS ONLY HAS ONE BODY. THE CHURCH IS HIS BODY.
Eph 5:30-32 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
THE CHURCH IS ALL BELIEVERS IN THE GOSPEL THAT PAUL AND THE OTHER APOSTLES DELIVERED TO THE PEOPLE, BOTH JEWS AND GENTILES. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. THE CHURCH IS THE ISRAEL OF GOD.
Gal 6:15-16 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
If the church is raptured out of the Earth, there would not be one believer left on Earth. Let me remind you, the human race was saved from extinction because God found ONE righteous man on Earth at the time of the flood. Noah. If not for Noah, the human race would not exist.
It is God’s nature that He will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. He spared Noah. God also spared Noah’s family, not because they were righteous, the Bible says NOTHING about any of Noah’s family being righteous. God spared Noah’s family for Noah’s sake because that is the nature of God.
If the church is raptured before the tribulation there would not be one righteous person left on Earth. If that were the case God would end the human race right at that moment. Jesus said “ye are the salt of the Earth”. The church is the preservative of the human race. Without them, it is over. Let me be clear, when I say over I mean the human race would cease to exist. God killed everyone on Earth once, with the exception of one family.
Let’s get back to the Word of God. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ may be the most misunderstood event in the church today.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Jesus is NEVER coming back to this Earth to sit on an earthly throne in Israel.
Jesus is sitting on the Throne of David, right now, in the heavenly Mt. Zion. Jesus’ Father, God, is sitting on that same throne, the Throne of David, right now, in the heavenly Mt. Zion. Jesus is sitting with His Father, at His Father’s right hand, on His Father’s throne, right now, in the heavenly Mt. Zion.
Jesus is not getting up from the throne until His Father makes Jesus’ enemies His footstool. And the last enemy to be destroyed is DEATH. Consequently, Jesus is not getting up from sitting on the right hand of His Father, on His Father’s throne, until death is destroyed.
Heb 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
1Co 15:22 -26 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
He, Jesus, is reigning, right now, on His Father’s throne, in heavenly Mt. Zion.
Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Jesus will sit with His Father, and Jesus will reign with His Father, in His Father’s throne in the heavenly Mt. Zion until Jesus’ enemies are made to be His footstool. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Then we will have the resurrection of the dead at Christ’s coming Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
This is what the Bible says about the coming of Jesus.
You may wonder why the angel Gabriel told Mary this,
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
It is not a mystery. The throne of His father David was originally God’s throne.
1Sa 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1Sa 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1Sa 8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1Sa 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
Israel did not want God to reign over them. Israel wanted an earthly king, to sit on an earthly throne and rule over them. So God gave them what they wanted, the throne, His throne. God gave up his kingship over Israel from Saul to Jehoiachin who was also called Coniah. Twenty-two kingships over Judah in total.
From the time that God lent His throne to the kings of Israel, they split into two countries, Israel and Judah. They went deeply into idolatry, Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and Judah by the Babylonians until they were no longer sovereign nations. They were exiled and their land was given to others.
The last king of Judah by lineage from David was Jehoiachin who was also called Coniah. He was the last sovereign king. This is what God had to say about that king…
Jer 22:24 As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;
Jer 22:25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
Jer 22:26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.
Jer 22:27 But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return.
Jer 22:28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?
Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
Jer 22:30 Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.
The line of David was cut off from ruling on an earthly throne forever.
The throne of Israel was removed from the Earth, forever. It returned to its rightful place in the heavenly Mt. Zion. Hear the Word of Yahuah…
Hos 13:9-11 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.
Jesus IS sitting on the Throne of David, just as the angel Gabriel said to Mary.
There will never be an earthly king in Israel so long as this world stands. In the new heavens and the new Earth, that is a different story. But that is a long way off in the future. This heavens and this Earth must pass away first.
In the millennial reign, which is near to come, there will not be a king in Israel on Earth. God will set up Judges as in the beginning.
Isa 1:24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
Isa 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
Isa 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Isa 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness.
Now that you have a solid background let’s look at a few more scriptures. As promised we will look at parousia, epiphaneia, and apokalupsis, as it relates to Christ’s coming, or appearing, and also Paul’s companion description of the “harpagēsometha” in Corinthians.
Please read each of these verses (even better, look each one up and read the surrounding context for better understanding) for each of the three Greek words used to describe what is commonly referred to as Jesus second coming. Once you see all the different references to what most people think is the same event, the final word apokalupsis will unlock your understanding.
parousia, παρουσία, coming
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
- The 144,000 true disciples of Jesus were martyred in the Tribulation. They were on Earth where they received the seal of God in their foreheads. Later they are seen with the Lamb in heavenly Mt. Zion where they are declared to be the First Fruits of the Earth. That is also clearly defined as the first resurrection. The only ‘afterward’ for “every man in his own order” will be the second resurrection at Christ’s coming on the final day of these heavens and this Earth.
- Paul clearly taught that the rapture, the harpagēsometha, would not precede the resurrection of the dead. There are only two resurrections. Those that are martyred in the tribulation, and those that rise from the dead at Christ’s appearance. The First Fruits is the first resurrection and then everyone else is the second resurrection.
- Mark 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
1Th 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Jas 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
2Pe 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Those are the verses in the New Testament that use parousia in reference to Jesus’ coming.
epiphaneia, ἐπιφάνεια, appearing, brightness
1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
2Ti 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
- This is such an interesting verse because epiphaneia is translated here as brightness and then the word parousia is also used as his coming. Literally, the epiphaneia of his parousia.
apokalupsis, ἀποκάλυψις, coming, appearing, revealed, revelation
1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
- The coming, appearing, or revelation of Jesus Christ is not a singular event. It is described in detail in 22 chapters, 404 verses, in the Book of Revelation.
- If you try to squeeze all the various references in the Bible to Jesus’ coming, appearing, or revelation into a singular event, you will not understand those verses correctly.
As you can see, once you look at the verses that use the Greek word apokalupsis in reference to His coming, His appearing, and His revelation you realize that not all the verses in the New Testament that talk about His coming, or His appearing, or His revelation are talking about the exact same event.
If you were to create a timeline of each event in the Book of Revelation and put it up on a wall, then take each of the verses I have listed in this post and put a push pin on the timeline for each verse you would see many of those verses group together on the last day of these heavens and this earth, and others are spread out along the timeline. The reason is that the revelation of Jesus Christ given to His servant John is not a singular event.
The epistles that make up the New Testament were written before the revelation was given to John on the Isle of Patmos. How much detail they knew about the chronology before the revelation was given to John is a matter of speculation.
Now let’s take a look at Paul’s companion scriptures to the ‘rapture’ scriptures we looked at above. These can be found in 1 Corinthians.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
- Remember, the LAST enemy to be destroyed is death. As long as people still die on this Earth, death has not been destroyed.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
I hope you have a better understanding of the rapture, which happens on the very last day of these heavens and this Earth.
I hope you have a better understanding of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Please consider that the Book of Revelation was written after all the other books in the New Testament. In no way do I want to diminish what the Apostles wrote. I know that all the scriptures they wrote are true and accurate. I just don’t know if the chronology was as clear to them as it is to us because of the additional information in the Book of Revelation. In any case, when it comes to prophecy we should all remember the words that the great Apostle Paul wrote…
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”