The Bible talks about the Rapture in many different places. I brought some of the best passages together here so we can learn about what is coming.
Do you hope to be raptured? Read on:
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.””
Isaiah 43:5-7 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.43.5-7.NIV
First and foremost: do not be afraid of the rapture!
We will be taken care of in God’s hands. God promises to find every last believer from every corner of the earth and bring them up to heaven.
““Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”
Matthew 24:30-33 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.24.30-33.NIV
Everyone on earth will be able to see the sign in the sky of Jesus returning.
So don’t be fooled by reports of false messiahs! And all the wicked people who did not believe will groan and be filled with sorrow because of how wrong they were. The angels will sound the trumpet and all of God’s people will be taken up in the rapture, from every corner of the earth.
And then Jesus tells us to *watch out for signs* that the time is near. Which is exactly what this website is trying to do. He tells us that we will know when the time is drawing near, because we will see the signs of the end described in the Bible.
“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? 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. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
John 14:2-4 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.14.2-4.NIV
Here, Jesus promises to come back and bring his followers to a special place prepared for them in heaven. How beautiful is that?
““At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.”
Daniel 12:1 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/dan.12.1.NIV
This vision of the rapture starts with archangel Michael, not Jesus. Michael will oversee a time of great distress, unlike anything the world has seen so far. And at that time, God’s people will be raptured.
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.”
1 Corinthians 15:22-24 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.15.22-24.NIV
Translation: Just like the sin of Adam and Eve caused all humans to be mortal, to die one day; the sacrifice of Christ caused all humans to have the chance at immortality. When the rapture comes, Jesus will appear first, then the “first fruits” will rise from the grave, then all who belong to Jesus will be taken up. Then will come the end of wickedness, the end of all powers of darkness on earth.
“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. 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 4:16-17 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/1th.4.16-17.NIV
From this passage, we learn that when the rapture comes, it will be the dead who rise first. Won’t that be weird to see! Again we see that there will be a trumpet call heralding the start of the rapture. And then all the believers will be brought up into the clouds.
“Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.””
Luke 17:33-35 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.17.33-35.NIV
This describes how abrupt the rapture will be to those who are left behind. People will just start disappearing from around them.
““But in those days, following that distress,
“ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.”
Mark 13:24-27 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.13.24-26.NIV
This passage describes some serious signs in the heavens heralding the rapture. The sun and moon are darkened and stars will fall out of the sky. That will be… interesting to say the least!
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Revelation 20:4 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/rev.20.4.NIV
This passage describes the thrones in heaven. It describes people who were killed during the persecutions of the last days, which are still ahead of us.
God’s people will be persecuted and killed for their beliefs.
I believe they will also be persecuted for not taking the mark of the beast, whatever that turns out to be. These believers will come to life again and be brought up to live with Jesus.
““And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”
Joel 2:28-32 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jol.2.28-32.NIV
God promises to be very interactive with the people on earth in the last days. He promises to pour out his Spirit on his people (male and female!) so that they will have supernatural powers. I believe my gift of prophecy is one fulfillment of this promise. God also promises dramatic signs in the skies, with blood and fire and billows of smoke. This is what results from a volcanic eruption, so maybe there will be a dramatic volcanic eruption in the last days.
What do you think? Leave a comment with your guesses!
Whatever happens, remember this:
When you see these great and terrifying signs of the end, fall on your knees and call out to God. Humble yourself before him and declare your belief in him. Then you will be saved from the worst of the troubles. God promises to save those who cry out to him, no matter how you lived before that moment. Cry out to your Father in heaven, and be saved!