I curious what you believe about the Rapture. Do you believe in it? Why or Why not? What is the difference?

Question

between the Rapture and the Second coming? What does a person need to do to be ready for the Rapture and/or the second coming? (please provide if you attend church or not and what flavor---denomination) Thanks. Tomorrow after I have some answers I'll tell you what I believe. We probably won't all agree, but I'm curious what you believe. Thank You.

As most people mentioned I too believe in a Private Rapture or Coming where we meet the Lord in the clouds. where God takes His people out of the World. After Revelation 4 the "Church" isn't mentioned again. However the Wrath of God is poured out....not on His believers as we've already turned to Him. The Lawless one has been prevented from doing his lawless acts because the Spirit alive in God's people prevented him. Once the Spirit is taken out with God's people. The Lawless one will be free to act.
The other "2nd" coming mentioned is when Jesus comes to the earth at the end of Armegeddon and ends the battle with a word. The saints taken in the Rapture will be riding behind Him. To rule with Him for a thousand years.
Yes it is important to be ready....your name not being in the book of life could have the greatest consequence of all.

Blessings.

Answer 1

I believe in a pre-trib rapture, and that it will happen without warning, in the twinkling of an eye. I believe there are no prophecies yet to be fulfilled before it can occur. I believe in order to be ready, a person needs to be saved. I also believe at some point after the rapture takes place, Israel will sign a 7-year peace treaty, and this will usher in the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the seven years is when the second coming of Christ occurs---and that every eye will see him coming in the clouds. I'm a born-again Christian.

(((((Jan)))))

Answer 2

I attend a non denominational church. I was baptized as a Baptist.

I *think* the Rapture and 2nd Coming are interchangeable names for the same event, depending on your belief system. Here's how I understand it: Jews are awaiting the 1st appearance of the Messiah. Christians believe Jesus is the son of God and has already been on this earth, thus when He returns it will be the 2nd Coming.

Here's how I understand it to happen: Jesus will return at a point in time and the believers in Christ will rise up (be raptured) from their earthly bodies and will live in Heaven. This will be the beginning of a very tumultuous time and the earth will see the rise of the anti-Christ. After a period of time (I think it is 7 years), Jesus will again return and establish his 1000 year reign on earth.

Do I believe it? Yes. Why? Because I believe the Bible to be factual and it for-tells this event. What do you need to do to be ready? Accept that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for your sins. It's pretty simple, really.

Answer 3

The rapture itself is when the Lord comes to take the saved away. From there we will be with Him for 7 years, during these 7 years there is to be The Judgement Seat of Christ, and The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. You ask what you need to do to be ready? Well you must be saved or else you will endure the famine's and plagues that God will send to earth. But who knows when the rapture is coming so that is why you just need to be saved now. Yes we look forward to it, but the most important thing is salvation. I am a baptist, and have been for about 3 years now.

Answer 4

Well, ya know...there's an argument that the second coming has already happened. Jesus said it would happen before everyone he was talking to died. So some people believe that the second coming was the resurrection, and we've more or less been in end days ever since.

As for the rapture, I was raised believing it, but I'm not sure the scripture really supports it. Plus I know of someone with a really interesting post-apocalyptic interpretation of the Song of Solomon that might make anyone think twice about the idea that the "saints" won't go through the tribulation.

By the way, I was raised fire-and-brimstone Southern Baptist, and now I'm an unaffiliated evangelical.

Answer 5

Yes I do believe in the 'rapture' although the Bible doesn't use that word...it is referred to as 'caught up'. The difference between the second coming and the rapture is that the rapture happens before the second coming(2 Thess 2:7 & Josh 1:5 & John 16:7-11) and the Bible tells us that when we are caught up it will be like a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:2) however the second coming, every eye shall see (Rev 1:7) and it will be with a loud shout and trumpets (1 Thess. 4:16 & Luke 21:27), another difference is that the rapture will be either before the tribulation(I believe this because of Rev 11:10...if the 2 witnesses tormented those who dwell on earth I would think it is because those who dwell on earth were ungodly) or at the mid-point of 3.5 years (as some believe) when the antichrist will be revealed (2 Thess 2:8) and the second coming is when Jesus returns with the saints to wage war against the antichrist and his followers (Matt 24:29-31 & Rev 19:14,19).

What do we need to do to be ready for the rapture? Be busy waiting...busy in the sense of doing what God has put us here to do. We can't be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good =)

I do attend church...no religion...just a Bible believing Christian

PS to those who answer that we as Christians must have a terrible life (or whatever) that we have to look forward to the rapture...I have just one question...don't YOU look forward to your vacations?

Answer 6

Just as God safely led Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah before He burned it up, so He will save His children from His wrath which He will pour out upon this world.
Wefmeist posted a couple good scripture references pertaining to the rapture. There is another good one in Luke.
Luke 21:36 "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of God."
John 14:3 is also a good reference..."And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am."
Compare the word "Take" as written in the original Hebrew text. It has quite a different meaning as when Christ refers to His Glorious second coming. It loses it's translation somewhat in the english language, however the Hebrew text is quite plain to see the difference in the two.
Another good scripture reference to the Rapture is in 1Cor.15:51-52 " Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
Please notice that in the Book of Revelation, the 7th trumpet is blown "Before" the anti-christ comes to power. The 7th trumpet is blown in Chapter 11 verse 15...It's not until Chapter 13 that the anti-christ comes to power. This proves a Pre-Tribulation understanding of Scripture. Not a Mid Tribulation or a Post Tribulation as some suppose. Very clear by studying these scriptures that the Rapture will happen just before the 7 year Tribulation period starts.
God Bless You All.

Answer 7

I am an evangelical Christian and I believed in the rapture. Rapture is an event wherein the dead believers will be resurrected and the living Christians will be translated into the air to meet Jesus. Then Jesus will take the raptured believers into His Father's house as promised, appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb of God.

The word "rapture" is not in the bible because it derived from a Latin word. The New Testament was written in Greek and the word use for rapture is "harpazo" which means "caught up or snatched up.

The rapture event is different from the second coming of Jesus. The rapture will happen before the 7-year tribulation, while the second coming will happen after. In the rapture, believers will go up to heaven, while the second coming a new heavenand earth will replace the old ones and the kingdomof God will finally be re-established on earth.

Answer 8

Hi Jan,
I do believe in the bible, and of course the day of judgment is there. So that makes it true and relevant. What do I believe will happen?
Pre Millennial, Post millennial, A or Pan...I am not sure.

I was raised Post , that all this war is spiritual, and that we finished the thousand year reign at the time of Martin Luther.
That makes most sense to me.

What I do know, is it coming. Prepare. Know the Lord. I cry out for my children, and for those I don't know. I believe that the Lord is rising up a generation that is holy and prepared to work and on fire for the Lord.

I am a non denominational christian.

In Christ, vicki

Answer 9

It is interesting to note the different veiws on this subject, however you ask, so I will also add mine ..... I do believe in the rapture, and here is why..... All through the Bible there are examples of flesh (law) and promise (God/grace), Adam & Christ, Cain and Able, Isaac and Ishmel, etc., and these go to show that law and grace can not mix....... when Jesus came, the law was fullfilled in its time, offerings and sacrifices were NO longer a part of worship .... and if you will notice in Revelation, it speaks of the Jew going back into the Temple Worship, that means just what it says, they will go back under the Law.... and how I ask, can there be Law and Grace ?? They do NOT mix......this is Daniels 70th week, God dealing once again with the nation of Isreal.......The Bride , The Church, which are the believers MUST be taken out before the Law can come back into effect...... *shrug* just my humble belief.... go in peace....... God bless

Answer 10

As we know, there are different views on this event. I have always held to a pre-tribulation rapture according to these verses:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.


It is my belief according to the Scriptures that God tends to pull His people out before tribulation comes.