1. The Rapture of the Church
Revelation 4:1
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
John 14:1-3 says:
1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
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.”
Read also: Acts1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 says:
50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
The Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events.
7 Differences Between the Rapture and the Second Coming:
1. Rapture - Christ comes in the air for His own
Second Coming - Christ comes with His own to earth
2. Rapture - Church taken to heaven
Second Coming - Christ sets up His kingdom on earth
3. Rapture - Could happen at any moment
Second Coming - Cannot occur for at least seven years
4. Rapture - Before the "day of wrath"
Second Coming - Immediately after the Tribulation
5. Rapture - No mention of Satan
Second Coming - Satan bound for 1,000 years
6. Rapture - Precedes the Marriage of the Lamb
Second Coming - His bride descends with Him
7. Rapture - Only His own see Him
Second Coming - Every eye shall see Him
There are 3 main views of the Rapture.
Why We Believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture:
Delivery from the wrath to come.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:4, 9-10; Romans 5:9; and Revelation 3:10.
How will Satan Try to Explain Away the Rapture?
Quotes from others:
Stephen Yulish made these 3 statements:
"I sincerely believe that extraterrestrials are not aliens from another planet or galaxy, but are instead fallen angels here to undertake a diabolical plan that is more sinister than any alien invasion.”
“These extraterrestrial fallen angels are setting us up for the coming great deception where those people left behind when the body of Christ is caught up to be with Him in the air during the harpazo (rapture) will believe that those who have suddenly vanished were abducted by UFOs.”
“People will more readily believe that millions of suddenly missing persons have been abducted by UFOs than that they are in the clouds with Jesus, especially if the skies are filled with UFOs
at the time.”
Jeff McGuire of The Prophecy Student said:
“Imagine a world-wide blackout, millions of people vanishing, and Satan allowing his minions to materialize in ‘saucers’ in the skies over all major cities! You can see how easily an alien abduction explanation could be accepted.”
They might even try to say that is what happened to the dinosaurs.
What the Catholic Church is saying:
“In fact, the whole scenario of the Left Behind Rapture being popularized today seems much more a UFO phenomenon than something that comes from God.”
“Surely the devil coming to "catch up" so-called Protestant believers would be a more viable hypothesis than the innovative theory that these same folk will fly up to meet Christ in Heaven to conveniently escape the great tribulation and punishment of the last days…”
Evolution's Influence:
That we are even having this discussion owes much to the theory of Evolution. Without people believing life evolved, they wouldn’t accept that it evolved out there first.
Is the theory of evolution just a stepping stone for Satan to be able to bring in a much greater deception?