The Rapture
Do not get overly concerned when you do not find the word "rapture" in your Biblical Concordance. This word comes from the Latin word "raptere" which was the translation of the Greek word "harpazo" meaning "snatched up." Over time the word rapture was used to describe the event when the Church is "snatched up" out of this world to go to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, you will not find the word "trinity" in your concordance either, but yet it is an acceptable Biblical Concept.
What is the Rapture?
As stated above, the rapture of the Church is the event, prophecied in the Scripture, when Jesus Christ comes back to earth (at the cloud level) and snatches up the Church from this world and takes us back to heaven with Him.
Promise of the Rapture
On the night of His betrayal, Jesus shared with the 11 disciples the promise of the rapture.
John 14:1-3 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Verse 3 solidifies the promise.
How will the Rapture take place?
From the Scriptures noted below, the sequence of events are:
This entire process, according to the Scripture, will take only a fraction of a second otherwise known as "the twinkling of an eye".
Will you be a part of the company of saints taken up in the rapture? If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior the answer is "Yes". If you have not, regardless of the Church or Denomination you belong to, the answer is "No".
Scriptures"
1 Thess 4:13-18 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 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: 17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Cor 15:35-57 35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
What are the indicators to inform you that the Rapture is near?
There are no warning signs. There are no unfulfilled prophecies that must take place before the rapture can occur. The bottom line is that the rapture can take place at any moment. Even before you finish reading this sentence.
No one will have time to prepare for it; neither will you be given sufficient time to complete your unfinished business. One second you are doing whatever you are doing and by the time you blink your eye, the entire rapture process has taken place and you find yourself in heaven, if you are saved.
Are you rapture ready? Are you saved?
What will be the effect of the Rapture to the World left behind?
One second after the rapture, there will be not one "saved" person left in this world. There may be some individual who attended church still on earth, but obviously, they were not saved. What a shame! The rapture will be too fast to capture on T.V. or video recorder, but the effects of the rapture will be covered. Cars, buses, and trains running out of control and crashing because the driver was snatched up. Planes falling from the sky because the pilot and co-pilot was snatched up. Factories coming to a halt because line workers, supervisors, tradesmen, technical resources, managers were all snatched up. Missing person reports being filed worldwide because millions of individuals were snatched up. No babies or small children under the age of accountability left in the world because they were all snatched up. There will be fires and chaos and a breakdown in the economy as bills are not paid and utilities continue to run because no one is home to turn them off. They were all snatched away.
The areas with the greater amount of "saved" individuals will be the most effected. Countries that are mostly non-Christian, will have very little effect, if any. Countries, like ours, with a high percentage of Christians will be highly effected. In either case, the world will know something just happenned.
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Inner Peace Baptist Church Incorporated - May 2006 Organized - June 2006 |