“For as in the days that were BEFORE THE FLOOD (capitals mine) they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Jesus). Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
Matthew 24:38-41
In His own words on the Mount of Olives, Jesus proclaimed to His disciples the concept of the Rapture. Some would be taken at the Coming of Jesus. Some would not! When would this happen? At the coming of “the Son of man”. While He used the well-known Biblical story of the Flood and taking Noah and his family out of the coming Wrath of God on a sinful world, did you know there have been and will yet be a number of actual “raptures” prior to Christ’s Return at Armageddon?
One of the main tenets of true Christianity is the belief in the Blessed Hope of the Rapture. Whether we are Believers who have died prior to the Rapture or Believers still alive on earth when God sends His Son Jesus Christ to snatch us out of this sinful world exactly as He said He would in Revelation 3:10: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (Tribulation) which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
Satan will do anything he can to dissuade the world from believing this because he wants us to MISS the Rapture, especially by allowing “scoffers” to give us lies. By believing there is no prophesied Rapture in the Bible, many people will assume they still have the time to later accept Jesus as their Savior and to repent and ask for forgiveness of their sins. By doing this they risk missing the Rapture or even dying before it happens. As unrepentant sinners they will end up being judged and sentenced to hell for eternity.
Today, many churches under the influence of Satan (aka, Church of Laodicea – Revelation 3:14-22) wrongly present the idea we must all go through His Wrath and subsequent punishment to be saved. These are called Mid-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation Raptures (or, as I call them, Satan’s lies!) Wanna know more about the differences in the “three” Raptures? Read my previous post (Why does the world so despise Pre-Tribulation Rapture Believers?).
As I have said many times before, God didn’t make Noah and his family swim in the Flood before putting them in the ark or have Lot and his family dodge fireballs and lightning before taking them out of Sodom and Gomorrah. No! God removed them from His upcoming Wrath BEFORE He unleashed it on this world. But you know what? There are numerous other examples in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of God miraculously removing people from this earth, many of them in the way the Rapture of the True Believers will occur. Some of these have already happened and others are prophesied to happen in the future.
Let’s take a look…
1. Enoch
The first example of someone being taken away (aka Raptured) in the Bible is the story of Enoch. Enoch was a righteous man who “pleased God”. For whatever reason God did this it gave the rest of us Believers the understanding being taken out of this world is not only a real possibility, but one that is shown to us for those who had “testimony” that “pleased God.”
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. “
Genesis 5:24
“By faith Enoch was translated (raptured) that he SHOULD NOT SEE DEATH (capitals mine); and was not found because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith is it impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Hebrews 11:5-6
2. Elijah
The second example in the Old Testament of the Bible of a Rapture was that of Elijah. In the Old Testament Elijah performed a number of miracles at the Will of God. It is interesting to note that many Biblical scholars believe it is Moses and Elijah who tell the disciples when Jesus ascends to Heaven that they will see Him return in the same way. In the Scripture below, Elijah was with Elisha, and they were separated. Elijah went up to Heaven in a whirlwind but apparently, Elisha stayed behind and witnessed this happening.
“And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.”
2 Kings 2:1
“And it came to pass, as they (Elijah AND Elisha) still went on, and talked, that, behold, (here appeared) a chariot of fire, and houses of fire, AND PARTED THEM BOTH ASUNDER (capitals mine); and Elijah (only) went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
2 Kings 2:11
3. Jesus Christ
Most of us don’t consider Jesus’s ascension into Heaven after His death, Resurrection and 40 days back on the earth, to be a “rapture” but, remember a number of disciples witnessed Him being taken up into the clouds of Heaven. When Jesus returned to earth from the dead, He was a physical human being. Thomas doubted it but Jesus told him to touch the holes in His hands and the wound in His side to prove He was not only alive but was still a human being. Of course, He was God IN THE FLESH and capable of doing miracles, but He still had a human body which was “raptured” in a way others will see Him “…come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” I believe this could easily refer to not only His Second Coming at Armageddon but when He calls us up (Rapture) to meet Him in the clouds.
“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward the heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:10-11
4. Rapture
Of course, the most famous Rapture of all and the one most discussed is the one Paul described as a mystery which has become the Blessed Hope of all Christian Believers. Whether you are a pre, mid or post Tribulation believer, God has promised the dead “in christ” will rise first and then “…we which are alive” will join them in the clouds forever. Just in case you are wondering what the difference is between the three Tribulation beliefs, I encourage you to read my previous post (When will the Rapture Occur – Pre, Mid or Post Tribulation). The Bible is very clear there will be a Rapture BEFORE God unleashes His Wrath on an unrepentant world!
“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.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
5. Two Prophets
During the first half of Tribulation, God will send two prophets into the world to proclaim the Truth of His Word. Through their Holy Spirit indwelling and through the use of many divine actions and miracles, they will help evangelize those on earth who missed the Rapture. Of course, since everything they do will be to contradict the lies and deceptions of the antichrist, eventually God will pull their security and allow the antichrist to kill them. For 3 1/2 days their bodies will lay in the streets of Jerusalem and the unbelieving world will celebrate their deaths. However, after 3 1/2 days the two will rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven. And the entire world will watch this miracle! Kinda sounds like the other Raptures, doesn’t it?
“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; AND THEIR ENEMIES BEHELD THEM (capitals mine).”
Revelation 11:9-12
6. 144,000 Evangelical Jews (?)
I deliberately put a question mark after listing the 144,000 Jewish evangelicals because the Scriptures below point to their protection while they presented God’s Word to an unbelieving world during the Tribulation. Then in Revelation 14 the Bible tells us the 144,000 will stand on the mount Sion (Jerusalem) WITH the Lamb for they were “…redeemed from the earth” (Rev.14:3). Again, a question mark about being raptured is reasonable, but it sure looks like they were protected, gathered, and redeemed by Jesus.
“Saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
Revelation 7:3-4
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.”
Revelation 14:1
7. Tribulation Martyrs
Again, as I have discussed numerous times before, the Last Days are split up a number of ways. First, the dead in Christ will rise first. Secondly, then we who are still alive will be snatched up to meet the Lord and the dead who have just been raised already. After this the Tribulation begins and while many who missed the Rapture will come to know and believe in Jesus will be martyred for their newfound belief. The number of them will be enormous! But there will still be many unbelievers who have rejected Jesus and who live through the Tribulation, only to be killed upon His Return at Armageddon. And yes, there will still be Jews and Christian Believers who will live until He Returns, and they will be the humans still alive during His Millennial (1,000 year) reign on earth. But those who died during the Tribulation for their belief in Jesus Christ, like their predecessors, who died “…in Christ”, will be snatched up to Heaven to meet the Lord in the clouds. Again, evidence of a yet to come Rapture of the Tribulation saints.
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9-10
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest: And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their blood robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:13-14
Two more things. First, Satan will do everything he can to convince people there is no Rapture or that it occurs much later, so you have time to wait to repent and accept Jesus’s Promise of salvation. Many, if not most, of today’s churches DO NOT teach the Rapture for the reasons written in the Bible below.
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, Where is the promise of his (Jesus) coming (the Rapture and Second Coming)? for since the fathers fell asleep (died), all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they WILLINGLY (capitals mine) are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:”
2 Peter 3:3-6
Finally, when I started researching and writing this article, I did not intentionally come up with the idea I needed to have 7 raptures. Remember, in the Bible the number 7 is always related to completion. Is it coincidental that there may very well be 7 raptures? Candidly, at this point number 4, The Rapture, is the most critical to those of us alive during these trying times. We do have a Blessed Hope for the Rapture that we may escape God’s Wrath. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Admit He died on the cross for your sins and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Do this today and live the life God intended and we will meet in the clouds at the Rapture. If this is comforting to you, make it comforting to your loved ones as well. Do today what He told us all to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”
May God Bless you as we anxiously await His SOON Return!
NOTE – After publishing this I was contacted by one of the followers of this blog and told the story of Philip in Acts 8:39-40.
“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. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all cities, till he came to Caesarea.”
Since the word for “caught up” here is the Greek word harpazo, I must assume he was raptured although the fact that he was later found tells me he was not sent to Heaven. Regardless, yet another example of the Spirit of the Lord working in miraculous ways!