Rapture of God’s church is one of the most contentious elements in Christian eschatology, specifically its timing with relation to other events, such as Christ’s return and the great tribulations. It is a significant eschatological event that has a considerable impact on an individual’s viewpoint about life and subsequent hope for the future. According to Apostle Paul, the rapture represents a great event where Christ’s return to meet with his saints in the heavens will be accompanied by a loud command from the archangel/Lord with the last trumpet summoning the resurrection of the dead saints (King James Version, 1 Thess. 4:13–18). After that, a meeting with Christ in the air will occur with two groups consisting of the living believers after receiving their glorified bodies and those Christians who will have instantly resurrected. The rapture has been characterized as a day of deliverance, glorification of the saints, and prevailing of righteousness. The imminency of the great event has a purifying and powerful sanctifying impact on believers. The rapture of the church is a motivation for believers to remain holy as they anticipate Christ’s return.
Before he died, Jesus assured his disciples of his second coming. He advised them to remain constantly prepared and careful since the timing remains mysterious (Matthew 24:42-51). In fact, no precise timing of the rapture of the church has been given in the scriptures. Therefore, no one knows the exact timing of the rapture with the imminent event expected to occur at any time. The scriptures support this argument in 1 Thess. 5:1-5 where Christ’s return is likened to that of a thief, and no signs or certain circumstances will precede the event. According to the Bible, the imminent return is anticipated to occur before the second advent and subsequently followed by Christ’s judgment seat as cited in the book of first Corinthians, 3:12-15.
Moreover, Jesus had revealed the rapture of the church of God to his disciples in the book of John 14:1-3. However, the timing of the rapture has attracted various eschatological views among theologians and biblical scholars. The first is the partial rapture view which holds that rapture will be limited to only the spirit-filled Christians faithfully working and ready for Christ’s return (Ryrie 870). According to the partial rapture view, Christ will only take the faithful believers who will be waiting and watching, while the rest will remain to endure the great tribulation and repent their sins. However, this theory has some limitations, particularly with its less predominant view of exclusiveness where it divides the Church of God into true believers and non-believers who will endure Daniel’s seventieth week. Also, this argument ignores the scriptural teachings in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, where Apostle Paul stated clearly that the rapture would be experienced by all, not necessarily the saved Christians.
On the other hand, the pretribulation rapture is the most popular theory with the argument of a supernatural church removal before the period of the great tribulations. The main feature of pretribulationalism view is the rapture’s occurrence for both the living and the dead saints before the seven-year tribulation period. Furthermore, pretribulationism significantly distinguishes between Israel and the church. Additionally, it argues about the church’s exemption from God’s wrath rapture before trials upon saints. Similarly, this position is clearly stated in 1 Thess. 4:13-18, where living Christians are encouraged to be reunited with other believers who died before them. In summary, the pretribulational argument assumes that the church will be protected from wrath while the wicked and non-believers will be excluded from entering heaven and face final judgment (Matt. 25:31-46).
The midtribulational rapture is a minor view of the rapture and emphasizes that the church will only face three and half years of tribulation. The midtribulationists believe that the rapture will occur at the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation (Ryrie 906). This view is considered shallow due to the failure to distinguish between divine wrath and satanic wrath. The scriptures are clear that Christians will not escape worldly suffering or martyrdom but are assured to be spared from God’s wrath poured through the entire 70th week to punish the world (Isa. 24:1; Rev. 6:17).
Finally, the post-tribulation rapture is a significant view that holds that the church will still be existing during the entire seven-year tribulation. This argument supports the fact that resurrection will occur after the great tribulation period (Ryrie 911). However, the post-tribulation view is associated with the limitation of failing to make a distinction between the church and Israel. In addition, the proponents of this argument fail to differentiate between the church’s rapture from the second coming of Christ despite the existence of high dissimilarities between the two events.
The rapture of the church will involve believers who will be received and changed by Christ. This occurrence is an assurance to Christians of an eternal relationship with the Lord. The Bible in 1 Cor. 15:51-52 demonstrates the church’s metamorphosis where believers will ascend with Christ to heaven to celebrate the marriage feast of the lamb for seven years. On the other hand, the unconverted gentiles and Jews will endure God’s wrath and tribulations for seven years. Besides, its timing is significant because it provides hope and expectations to Christians. Its imminence nature encourages believers to persevere and remain godly. Also, it serves as a warning to repent to avoid God’s wrath in the future to non-believers. Paul reminds believers that their ultimate hope is with Christ’s return.
The pretribulation view also called classical dispensationalism is the most common view concerning the rapture due to its strong support. This argument holds the church’s rapture as the ultimate hope for the church. However, no one knows the specific timings of this significant eschatological event, specifically in relation to other events such as Christ’s return and the great tribulations. Despite this fact, the rapture teachings have some practical implications that bring a significant difference in every believer’s life in terms of their actions, values, goals, and priorities. The truly imminent rapture provides believers with hope, encourages patient waiting, and promotes steadfastness and faithfulness in church leaders.
In conclusion, the church of God’s rapture serves as an encouragement for true believers and anticipation to live with Christ forever. Besides, the prevailing of righteousness during judgment day and their vindication is the primary concern for all believers. According to the Bible, the tribulation which is the 70th week of Daniel is a time prepared to restore and regenerate Israel. In Revelation 3:10, the tribulation period is meant for people who dwell on earth but not for the church (Ryrie 911). The church is significantly distinguished from Israel, but it will also experience tribulation before the rapture.
Works Cited
The Holy Bible: King James Version. Brown Books Publishing, 2004.
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology: A popular systematic guide to understanding biblical truth. Moody Publishers, 1999.