The Rapture
Christians use the word rapture to refer to the coming of Christ for his followers. We have a firm base for this belief in the word of God.
John 14:1-3 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Exercise faith in God, exercise faith also in me. In the house of my Father there are many abodes. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going my way to prepare a place for you. Also, if I go my way and prepare a place for you , I am coming again and will receive you home to myself, that where I am you also may be.
This part of the scripture is our base for believing that Christ is preparing a place for us in heaven and that He will come for us to take us to where He is.
John 14:27-28
…do not let your hearts be troubled nor let them shrink for fear. You heard that I said to you, I am going away and I am coming to youLuke 17:26-
….just as it occurred in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of man. Thy were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until that day when Noah entered into the ark and the flood arrived and destroyed them all. Likewise just as it occurred in the days of Lot., they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, …but on the day that Lot came out of Sodom it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed them all. The same way it will be on that day when the son of man is to be revealed. On that day let the person that is on the house top but whose movable things are in the house not come down to pick these up and the person out in the field , let him likewise not return to the things behind…..in that night two will be in one bed, the one will be taken along but the other will be abandonedThese words imply the following:
It will occur without previous notice to the bulk of humanity
Not everybody will be taken from the same group of "friends" or "family".
The ones taken will have very short time to leave.
The ones left behind will suffer destruction similar to what happened in the days of Noah or the days of Lot.
Christ also refers to this time with these words Re 3:3
"I will come upon you as a thief".
Not only does a thief come at a time when he is not expected, he comes to rob. What is Christ robbing? He will be robbing or abducting part of humanity and He will be taking them somewhere else.
Do we have evidence of this sort of thing happening before in the history of man?
Yes, we have the testimony given in
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was transferred so as not to see death, and he was nowhere to be found because God had transferred him. So Enoch was transferred to another place away from earth.Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire as seen by the prophet Elisha.
2Ki 2:1-12Paul tells us of a man he knew that was taken to the third heaven
. 2Co 12:2We believe the word of God and are waiting for Christ's return to gather His people.