As stated in a previous post, I believe the Bible tells us the Great Tribulation is a 3 1/2 yr. time period of great oppression for true Christians. What happens as this time period comes to a close?

2 Thess. 2:1 says – “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him…”  This text lets us know that the gathering of Christians to their heavenly reward happens at Christ’s coming.

Now lets read 1 Thess. 4:15-17 – “For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.”

1 Cor. 15:51,52 – “Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.”

During Christ’s coming the dead in Christ will be raised. What will happen to those living true Christians at that time? They will be changed in a nano second of time from something mortal and corruptible to something immortal and incorruptible. This raising of dead Christians and rapturing of  the living is associated with a trumpet blast.

Now lets read Matt. 24:31 – “He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Here we again see the gathering of the elect (true Christians living during Christ’s coming) associated with a trumpet blast. We can therefore assume all the texts we have read to this point are talking about the same event. This gathering will be preceded by 3 1/2 years of oppression.

Jesus I believe again talks about the rapture of living Christians in vs. 40-42 – “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.”  Jesus here says the day he comes some will be taken and others left behind. I believe he is talking about the rapture.

Daniel 7:21,22 also implies a rescue from oppression – “As I was watching, this horn waged war against the holy ones and was prevailing over them 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.” Here it lets us know that when it seemed that the “little horn” was going to be successful in its bid to stamp out true Christianity, God was going to rescue his servants. How? The other texts we have read seem to indicate by the rapture.

Now lets turn to Revelation 11. This chapter talks about “the two witnesses” who prophesy for 1260 days (3 1/2 yrs.) and then are killed. This may indicate many true Christians will be killed and the remaining perhaps will go into hiding. To the world in general it will seem that true Christianity is about to be eliminated. Now lets read verses 11,12 of Rev. 11 – “But after 3 1/2 days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. So great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here’. They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.”

This voice that says “Come up here” would seem to be indicating that the rapture was about to take place. The fact that they are taken up in a cloud also reminds us of Jesus’ ascension. (Acts. 1:9)

Again a trumpet blast is made around the time this happens as can be seen in verse 15 – “The seventh angel blew his trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven…” Apparently this would be the last trumpet mentioned by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:51,52.  Verse 18 of Rev. 11 says – “…The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear Your name…” At this last trumpet dead Christians would rise from the dead and the living Christians would be raptured “together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”.

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8 Comments on The Rapture

  1. Greybeard says:

    Good article Andrew,

    I have often wondered about this. I believe you are right. I no longer see two groups of christians as I once believed as a JW. As you know, they believe the great crowd will live on earth and the 144,000 go to heaven. But as I read the Bible I see that all christians have a heavenly hope. It amazes me how the JW’s have twisted everything. Jesus returning in 1914 and appointing them in 1918 for example. They need to drop the Watchtower and pick up there Bible more and read it.

    Your brother,
    Greybeard

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    • bruceguth says:

      Yes and the little flock and other sheep are spirit-begotten with heavenly hope. The little flock from Jews, other sheep from gentiles. (Jo chp 10)

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  2. Jon says:

    Was always taught that the rapture was wrong. Now i find my self fantasizing about it. Praying that it is true. That I will be raptured up with the ones I love any day now. To me now it is a beautiful thought. Now I realize no one really knows the truth, not in its entirety. Just bits and pieces. I pray daily to know and understand.
    Deep dark depression has taken over my life since I became a JW more than 30 yrs ago. Its not suppose to be that way , but it is for many. I no longer consider myself one, but the depression does not leave, the damage has been done. Too late I found out they are not the truth and never were. Some days it is all I can do to hang on. Every aspect of my life has been ruined and all hope is lost. I have lost most of my family , one way or another. Cant get a job, getting older and will loose everything. Not much reason to go on. That is why I pray for the rapture, and pray that it is true.

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  3. greybeard says:

    Hi Jon,

    I have felt the same way you are feeling right now. I totally understand. Please realize that all is not lost. I to am growing old and can’t find a job. I know life is not easy. Especially if you were a JW expecting armageddon to have came by know as we were to it would. Now you can grow into the real truth with Christ as your head. Don’t let depression take over. Many take medication to deal with depression. I do myself and I believe it is helping me. A few months ago I wanted to die believing all was lost. I do not feel that way today. I am feeling much better. Just remember this life is only temporary and it is a nano second viewed in the light of eternity.

    I pray Jehovah helps you, me and all of us in this struggle,
    Christian love,
    Your brother,
    greybeard

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  4. John S. says:

    Egsellent;well-reserht-logikle-powerful-u-neiled-this;thenks-so-gretly——-well-done-true-FDS-DOING-HIS-JOB

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  5. Bro. Ed says:

    I too believe this is exactly what the meaning of these scriptures are. As for true Christianity, I firmly believe it will again be reestablished. Christ knew that true Christianity would go into hibernation. His parable of the 10 virgins testifies to this: “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.” (Matthew 25:5 ESV). This is lamented in Jesus Christ’s somewhat rhetorical words, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8 ESV).

    Of course Jesus knew that during the period of sleep, both the righteous and unrighteous, the truth and falsehood of christianity would coexist. It’s not until the end when the harvest begins do we see a separation of the two. Read Jesus’ prophetic words in Matthew:

    “He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'” (Matthew 13:24-30 ESV).

    Note verse 25 regarding the sleep, and very importantly verses 28 & 29. Here the workers don’t do the separating or gathering, rather it is left to the reapers during the harvest where the unrighteous (weeds) are gathered up first to be burned up.

    Well then here we are just before the harvest, waiting eagerly for our Lord to return. Let us all arouse from our slumber so that we can be harvested as wheat. The “rapture” is another term for being gathered up during the great harvest; some to eternal destruction others to eternal life.

    May the grace of our Father and the love he is showing us today, bind us together in union with our Lord Jesus. Then together, with all God’s chosen, whether dead or alive at his return, we will meet the Lord in the sky and be changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

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  6. disappointed says:

    Yes, this is an excellent article! (John I think I am getting used to your damaged laptop speak, LOL!)
    I am starting to read the bible without my WT specs on now and it’s illuminating!! So much in God’s word has been twisted so it ceases to make sense. Reading the Bible on it’s own everything becomes so much clearer and starts to make sense doesn’t it? Little by little I am seeing more and more truths being buried under the WT. Thanks for this Andrew, it is more ‘meat’ to chew on!! 😀

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  7. J.P. says:

    Hi, I have a fiance who is trying to get reinstated as a JW and I am a non-denominational Christian. He doesn’t believe in the Rapture. IN FACT, he said it is a fairy tale that gives hope to ppl.It makes me sad that he doesn’t believe and is told the opposite and is willing to believe anything that is thrown his way from Jw.Can someone please give me some insite to this.

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