What is the next thing you are looking forward to? The wedding of a child? The birth of another grandchild (as my wife and I are anticipating in April)? A long-anticipated trip or family gathering?
All of those blessed events are bound to inspire eager anticipation. But the best thing that Christians throughout the Church Age have awaited with great excitement is the Rapture of the Church. That is why Paul refers to His coming for us as our “blessed hope.” As we’ve said many times, because our Hope is bound up in the Person of Jesus Christ and His trustworthy promises, the phrase Blessed Hope refers both to Him personally and to the promise that He will come and gather us to Himself.
It is that upward call that will usher us in glorified bodies into the rarefied beauty of Heaven—to take up residence in the place He has prepared for us—that Paul says we should be groaning for. In fact, he assumes that every Christian is doing just that: “having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).
Paul advocated for what I refer to as an “already, but not yet” realization of our salvation. Yes, we are saved the moment we trust in Christ. But still, we await the glorification of our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:24-25).
Jesus Christ, who is our Savior in accordance with the eternal will of God, is also our Hope.
Are You Hoping for the Blessed Hope?
Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is the clearest scriptural reference to the Rapture, but it is not the only one. The concept of the “Rapture” is contained in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where the word is typically translated as “caught up.” In the original Greek, the word harpázō was used. That word appears 14 times in Scripture and conveys the idea of being seized, snatched away, plucked up, or carried off by force. For example:
- Matthew 11:12 (take it by force)
- Matthew 12:29 (plunder)
- Matthew 13:19 (snatches away)
- John 6:15 (take Him by force)
- John 10:12 (the wolf catches)
- John 10:28, 29 (neither shall anyone snatch them)
- 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4 (caught up into Paradise)
- Jude 23 (pulling them out of the fire)
- Revelation 12:5 (her Child was caught up to God)
Late in the 4th century, Jerome translated the Greek New Testament into the Latin Vulgate (“vulgar” or common tongue spoken by most Roman citizens). He used the future tense of the Latin verb rapio, rendering it as rapiēmur— meaning “we shall be caught up.”
If Paul’s Spirit-revealed reference to what we call the Rapture was the only one, it would still be a clear and valid prophecy. But other Scriptures reference this promise to the Church: “Jesus said, ‘I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am going (to prepare a place for you) you may be also'” (John 14:1-4).
Paul revealed, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
The context of Paul’s statement makes clear that he is referring to “the dead in Christ” (to use the language of 1 Thessalonians 4:16). And, while some get hung up on the nature of the “last trumpet,” it is the final trumpet those who have been redeemed will hear with our mortal ears—even as other trumpets will sound in Heaven and during the Tribulation. I don’t believe the unsaved will hear that particular trumpet, but those with “ears to hear” will hear the wonderful shout of the archangel and blast of that trumpet that will announce Christ Himself descending to collect His Bride.
Jesus is the Bridegroom who is waiting for His Father to say, “Go, and get Your Bride.” Any man who has awaited his wedding day can testify that the sense of anticipation and joyful excitement begins at the engagement and mounts as the wedding day draws near. The same was true with a Jewish betrothal, although the timing of the actual wedding was undetermined (and unknowable) until the father decided it was time.
As she awaits the wedding day, every bride also experiences growing expectation and hope. Her hope is not a forlorn wish, but an assurance of a life to be united and shared with the bridegroom. That is why brides used to gather treasured belongings in a hope chest— readying them for use in her future home and family.
It is almost unimaginable to think of a bride who would be apathetic about her impending wedding. And yet, many in the Bride of Christ seem unconcerned and indifferent about the joy that awaits when our Bridegroom comes to snatch us away, gathering us to Himself in the blink of an eye.
Oh, what a joy-filled day that will be! But that is only the beginning of the glories and joys that await us according to Bible prophecy.
Oh, Glorious Day
There will be a moment in time when every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord of all. There will come another time when all the inhabitants of the world will see Jesus lead an army from Heaven to defeat His enemies and establish His Kingdom on the Earth. I’ve stood in the place where Jesus will return and looked down upon the Eastern Gate and Temple Mount, where He will enter the city and reign from the throne of David.
So many prophetic signs point to that glorious day. As described in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, those signs are multiplying. They are increasing in frequency and intensity. And, they are converging like never before—to the point that even the spiritually undiscerning are beginning to realize that something is afoot.
Throughout the book of Revelation, there are repeated glimpses of the blessings that await those Tribulation saints who endure to the end. While most are martyred during that horrific seven-year period, a small minority will witness the end of the Tribulation and be able to enter the Millennial Kingdom in their mortal bodies. But for those of us who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ during the Church Age unto salvation, there is now no condemnation for us (Romans 8:1)—and no need to be subjected to the outpouring of God’s wrath throughout the Tribulation.
Simply put, Paul’s words to the Church at Thessalonica would ring hollow if we are destined to suffer through the wrath of God. Given the overview of the Rapture he described in the verses immediately preceding, the idea that the Bride of Christ must suffer God’s righteous indignation undermines the sufficiency of Jesus’ blood and His sacrificial propitiation on our behalf.
There is no doubt that Jesus’ Second Coming to the Earth will be glorious—and that those who have trusted in Him will be there. I’ve envisioned that scene as described in Scripture so many times that my own heart thrills when I am on the Mount of Olives. Our friend Don Perkins has thought through this prophetic fulfillment so carefully that he has already picked out a name for the horse he’ll ride as part of the heavenly army. But many intervening events must occur before the Second Coming—some wonderful and some tragic.
What Next?
The next prophetic event on God’s timeline of the End Times is the Rapture. But there are several other prophetic events that every follower of Christ will participate in:
- The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
- The glorious Second Coming
- The Millennial Kingdom
- The New Jerusalem on the New Earth
- The Eternal State
Each one of those has unique blessings. Each one promises glories that are beyond comprehension. Citing Isaiah 64:4, Paul tells us, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, ALL that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
And yet, those who have the Spirit of God have been given a foretaste of what awaits us in glory (1 Corinthians 2:10). I am convinced that, like a loving parent who cannot fully convey what lies ahead to an eager and excited (but unaware) child, God knows that our minds simply cannot fathom what awaits us. And He does not reveal every glory that awaits us because He expects us to trust Him.
So, with all the wonderful things that lie ahead, the next best prophesied thing is the Rapture of the Church.
The Bridegroom is ready. The Archangel is ready to shout. The trumpeter is ready to sound a blast. John tells us that “the Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’ ” (Revelation 22:17). Jesus even assured us three times in Revelation 22, “I am coming quickly” (22:7, 12, 20).
If you have a regenerate heart that loves the Lord Jesus Christ, then you also have ears to hear. And if you do, I hope you’ll take Jesus at His Word and join the Apostle John in responding, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
