Post-Rapture Survival Guide Part 2: Understanding the Rapture

If you came here after reading Part 1, I’m going to assume that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. If not, I highly recommend going back and reading Part 1 over again. Given what the world is about to endure during the 7 year Tribulation period, there is nothing more important to your eternal existence and final destination than finding Jesus and accepting His gift of salvation.

In Part 2, we are going to discuss the Rapture, which is the term most often used by pre-millennial dispensationalists (those who believe bible prophecy foretells of a pre-Tribulation Rapture followed by a Millennial Kingdom) to describe the event foretold in 1 Thessalonians 4:17

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.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Note: Pre-millennial dispensationalists embrace the concept of Futurism; we believe end times prophecies from the Old and New Testaments foretell of future events that will be literally fulfilled. We also believe the Rapture will most likely take place before the seven years of Tribulation so Jesus can fulfill God’s promise to spare the Church from the Wrath of God (and because the Church is never mentioned again after Revelation 6 until Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation in Revelation 19).

I’m not going to waste any time trying to argue whether pre-millennial dispensationalists were right or wrong about our views on eschatology (theological study of the end times). The mere fact that millions of people have vanished without a trace and you came here looking for answers kind of speaks for itself, don’t you think? And if not, well… I suppose you’ll just have to wait and see if the 21 judgments of the Tribulation Period occur as prophesied. You’ll know soon enough whether the events outlined in the Book of Revelation were intended to be interpreted literally. While it remains unclear exactly how long those who have been left behind will have to wait for the Tribulation period to commence, the moment Antichrist signs a 7-year treaty with Israel, you’ll know the time of Tribulation is underway. Note: Most pre-millennial dispensationalists believe the Tribulation Period will commence within weeks or months of the Rapture.

So what exactly is (or was) the Rapture and what actually happened to those who vanished?

1. Those of us who vanished in the Rapture were brought up to Heaven to be with Christ, in the process being transformed from earthly bodies to our eternal glorified bodies (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:40). Note: After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples in his glorified body. (Reference the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
2. Those of us who vanished in the Rapture will return with Christ at the Second Coming, which occurs at the end of the 7 Year Tribulation period. (Revelation 16:16; Revelation 19; Revelation 20:1-3)
3. When we return, we will be in our glorified, immortal bodies and we will rule with Christ during the Millennial Kingdom following the Tribulation Period. (Revelation 20)
4. We who are with Christ will never be separated from Him again (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We will reign with Him forever, even as the Millennial Kingdom ends and a New Heaven and a New Earth are created (Revelation 21)

What is the purpose of the Rapture?

1. By removing all the genuine Christ-followers from the Earth, the Rapture fulfills God’s promises (in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Thessalonians 5:9 and Revelation 3:10) to spare his Church from wrath and “the hour of testing” (the 7 Year Tribulation Period). This is not a retreat of the Church due to defeat but rather a deliberate, strategic withdrawal from the battlefield. The Church will return with Christ and will have the honor of sharing in His victory during the Battle of Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16, Revelation 19; Revelation 20:1-3)
2. The “snatching away” or vanishing of millions will lead many unbelievers to finally accept Christ as their Lord and personal Savior as they search for answers and try to make sense of what has happened. In this sense, the Rapture serves as a wake-up call for those left behind to accept Christ before it is too late. Although all the genuine Christ-followers will be removed from the Earth with the Rapture, a new generation of Tribulation Saints will rise up in their wake. Described as “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,” YOU and your fellow Tribulation Saints will be empowered to resist Antichrist and the forces of darkness! (Revelation 7:9-10; Revelation 7:14). Some biblical prophecy experts even believe that the total number of Tribulation Saints could outnumber the total number of living people who vanished during the Rapture!
3. The vanishing of millions will plunge the world into anarchy and chaos, leaving the door wide open for Antichrist (aka The Beast) and a one-world government to emerge. The seeds of Satan-inspired globalism (e.g. lockdowns, restrictions, vaccine passports, the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset etc.) were planted during the COVID pandemic period, but the Rapture will usher in a period of unprecedented tyranny and persecution across the entire planet. (Revelation 6:2, Revelation 13)
4. Although the Tribulation period will lead to devastation on a cataclysmic scale and a tyranny unlike anything the world has ever seen before, it will also spark a spiritual revival in Israel, creating a golden opportunity for God’s chosen people to find redemption as witnesses for Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:4, Revelation 14:1) and for God to fulfill His many Old Testament promises to the nation of Israel.

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