The Rapture

"'Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.'"

"I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. Worship God!... Then he told me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book because the time is near. 'Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.'... The Spirit and the bride say 'Come!' and let him who hears say 'Come!'... He who testifies these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:7-20

Yes, it's true! Jesus is coming back! Someday when we least expect it, he will come back and take all the Christians to heaven. That is what most of us called a "rapture". No one knows when it will happen; not even Jesus or the angels know (Matthew 24:36). But God does and it will happen. So there is no reason for date setting, because God will do it when he pleases.

Here's the scripture for proof of the Rapture:

Even though we don't know what time the Rapture will occur, we can be prepared. And God left us a lot of hints in the Bible so that we can be ready. Many people doubt that there will even be a Rapture. Some believe the Rapture will occur in the middle of the Tribulation or at the very end. But that does not make sense; why would God allow the Christians to be put through that? He wouldn't.

Pre-Tribulation Rapture

A Pre-Tribulation Rapture is where the Rapture occurs before the 7-year Tribulation, and even before a peace treaty. It makes perfect sense that there will be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. First off, that's what everyone has believed for years. Here's a few verses below that proves there will be a Rapture (I also listed them above, but I'd thought I'd just list 'em here anyway.)

"Be on guard! Be alert! You don't know when that time will come." Mark 13:32-33.

See that's the difference between a Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the Second Coming. People will know when Jesus' Second Coming is. It has it right in Revelation and since Revelation goes chronologically, we know that right after the marriage supper of the lamb (Revelation 19:7-10) that Jesus will be back then. As for the Rapture, we'll never know. Proof of that, look at the verse above.

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not sleep, but we will be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. "

It's interesting to note that Christ's coming is referred to as a trumpet. Look at Revelation 4:1. It speaks about a voice sounding like a trumpet. Throughout the Bible the Rapture is referred as the trumpet. It is possible, that when John mentioned the trumpet in Revelation 4:1, that he was speaking about the Rapture.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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 maybe where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."John 14:1-4

This is another proof of a Rapture. See there's a big difference between a Rapture and a Second Coming. A Second Coming is where he comes and sets his kingdom on the earth (Revelation 19-20:6). In the Second Coming, Jesus won't be taking anyone anywhere when he does that. But John 14:1-4 clearly states that he is coming back for us and will take us to the place he is preparing for us.

So be ready; the Rapture could come any moment! If you are unsaved and think you have all the time in the world, you don't. Jesus will come back when we least expect Him. So be ready!