The Spirit’s been pushing me to give you my version of rapture reality explained because it’s important. If you have questions about the Rapture, here’s one of the best resources. There’s so much bad teaching floating around. I want to share what I believe and why.

The reason why now is simple. This event is imminent. There is no prophecy which needs to be fulfilled before the Lord comes in the air to pick up His Bride. No one who understands prophecy can deny that the clock started ticking when Israel came back and the Lord resurrected all the dry, dead bones from Ezekiel 37. Ask most Israelis what happened and many will cite Ezekiel.

Rapture reality explained because it’s important

I talk about reality because I suspect much rapture teaching has been sensationalized. So, I want to make a few points to get us started.

1. Several scriptures lead us to believe the world will not notice. This probably means no planes falling out of the sky, no crashing cars, burning homes from cooking flames, and all the rest of the sensationalism. For example, Isaiah 57 starts out with: “The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity, he enters into peace”. The Spirit tells me this is about the rapture. So, what do we make of that? I think there are two possibilities:
   1. We drop our earthsuits as we leave. We have no use for them in heaven. The world could easily rationalize hundreds of thousands of dead Christians.
   2. We go in the middle of a huge disaster before the seven years start— like the massive earthquake in Rev. 7. Then we’d just be more bodies in a huge mass of bodies.
2. You get to chose whether you go or not. It’s not about salvation. Jesus told us to “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” and “Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” and “But he replied, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
   If you choose to believe you’ll go through the seven years of tribulation, my understanding is that you will get what you desire. If you believe in the rapture, you’ll escape the Wrath of God. There are many solid arguments for a pre-tribulation rapture. The arguments against it all have serious flaws.
3. The final seven years are about God dealing with Israel. Well before the seven years start, beginning with three and a half years for the two witnesses, the church is seen in heaven. After the 144,000 Jews are sealed for work during the seven years, Revelation 7:19-10, 13-14 [RSV] tells us, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!”… Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
   Here the great tribulation seems to be referring to the 2,000 years since the death of Jesus—the Age of the Church, the Bride of Jesus. Before the seven years start, the church is seen in heaven serving the Lamb, just after the 144,000 Servants of God are sealed for their work during the seven years.
4. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb happens sometime during the seven years. By the time Jesus’ foot touches down on the Mount of Olives, the marriage supper is finished and the marriage is consummated.

The rapture requires you to make a decision

Not deciding means you’ve decided to go through the tribulation.

Maranatha!

People with good resources: David Reagan (Lamb & Lion), John and Matt Hagee, Perry Stone, Jan Markell, Gary Hamrick