If you have ever read the Bible or heard someone speak of Revelation, you know that prophecies for the end of the world are laid out in the Book. Part of the prophecy is known as the Rapture. Though the word “rapture” is not found in the Bible, the theory is based firmly in Scripture.
According to the Bible, those who are non-believers will be left behind to suffer through the tribulation, or the end of days. What happens to those who believe? The theory of the Rapture says that they will be taken to heaven to live with Jesus while the world as we know it comes to an end. According to many biblical scholars, the tribulation will last for seven years, and then Christ will return to earth to set up his kingdom.
No one knows when the Rapture will come, but scholars believe it will take place in an instant. Those who believe will be transformed into spiritual bodies and will ascend from the earth, leaving no trace of themselves behind.
Some believe the Rapture will happen at the beginning of the tribulation. Others think it will occur halfway through, when non-believers have had a chance to see the tribulation happening, and thus have time to turn to Christ before the end of days. Others believe the Rapture will happen at the end of the tribulation, after Christians have been tested throughout, so they can then bear witness to those who come after them.
Those who believe in the Rapture expect it to be a sudden event, one that leaves devastation in its wake. Millions of people will suddenly disappear, and all the things they were doing — cooking dinner, driving vehicles, flying planes, and the like — will suddenly go on without them. The result will be widespread chaos, which will mark the beginning of the Rapture.
Those who have already died will be waiting on the other side for those who are taken by the Rapture. There, they will watch from Heaven as the end of days comes closer, and once the tribulation is over, they will return to earth to help Christ start the new kingdom.
In order to be part of the Rapture, a person must believe in Christ and all He did for the world. Some religions, however, don’t believe in the Rapture. Catholics, eastern Orthodox, and some Protestant faiths have rejected the idea of the Rapture, and believe instead that Christ will come again and at that time, all sinners will be judged.
What do you believe? Do you think the Rapture is coming?