The Rapture: What will Happen On Jesus Second Coming for His Church

What is the meaning of Rapture? The moment when God will take His Church and remove it from the earth is known as the Rapture. Those who have died in Christ will rise, and the followers of Jesus who are still alive will be taken off the earth. From that moment on, the Church will be with God for eternity.

In the Gospel of John, we read words that Jesus spoke to His disciples. This occurred just before His death and resurrection. Jesus told them not to be sad because, although He was leaving physically, He would return. He was going to prepare a place for them, but He would come back to take them there, where they would spend eternity with Him:

We see that Jesus is not referring to His resurrection, but to the moment when He will return to take them, and all those who have received Him as Lord and Savior, until that day. That is why He spoke of many rooms. He assured them that He would come back to gather His Church, all His children. Jesus encouraged them with this hope and certainty. He will return for His own!

Let’s look at other biblical scriptures related to this event we call the Rapture or the taking away of the Church.

Relevant verses:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

In these verses, Paul encourages the believers in Thessalonica by speaking to them about the end times. Within the church, some were asking what would happen to believers who had died before Jesus returned to gather His Church.

Paul speaks to them about three things that will happen one after the other at the end. First, Jesus will descend and His coming will be announced. Revelation 1:7 says that "all will see Him with their own eyes." Second, the dead in Christ will rise. And third, the children of God who are still alive will be caught up and meet the Lord in the air.

We see that the early church already had the assurance that Jesus would come to gather (to rapture) His people, and they lived in expectation of that moment. They knew that it didn’t matter whether they were dead or alive when this happened. If they had given their lives to Jesus, accepting Him as Savior, they would spend eternity with Him.

Matthew 24:30-31

Matthew chapter 24 mentions different signs regarding the end of the world. Jesus knew that the end of His earthly life was approaching. That’s why He took time to explain to His disciples what would happen at the end of time. Above all, Jesus wanted to encourage them to be prepared for that moment. He assured them that He would return to gather His chosen ones.

Jesus will return with "power and great glory," victorious. Once again, we see that it will be an imposing moment, with the sound of a trumpet, angels, and the gathering of His chosen ones "from one end of the heavens to the other." In Daniel 7:13, we find a prophecy about this moment. Daniel had a vision in which "someone with the appearance of a man was coming with the clouds of heaven," and Jesus confirmed to His disciples that this would happen. He will return!

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Paul encouraged the church in Corinth by speaking to them about a mystery, something they had not heard until then. He spoke to them about that wonderful transformation that the children of God will go through when Jesus returns to gather His people. This will happen suddenly, "in an instant, in the blink of an eye."

He assured them that when the final trumpet sounds, those who have already died will be raised with incorruptible bodies. The children of God who are still alive will be immediately transformed; they will not remain the same.

In 1 Corinthians 15:44b, it says, "If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." We only know our physical or natural body. We do not know what our spiritual body will be like, but we do know that when we are transformed, our body will be different from the one we have today.

Philippians 3:20-21

Paul emphasized the importance of having the correct perspective in life. Our true citizenship is not on earth but in heaven, and our life should reflect this truth. Our greatest desire should be to live for Jesus, pleasing Him in everything. At the same time, we must eagerly await His return.

The physical world in which we live will undoubtedly come to an end. God will transform our bodies, and we will have glorious bodies, something hard to imagine. Then, everything that exists will be subjected under the incomparable power of our Lord. There is nothing or no one greater or stronger than Him. In that marvelous moment, we will realize the vastness of His greatness and power.

1 John 3:2

Our identity is this: we are children of God! Let us not doubt it. If we have received Jesus as our Savior and King of our hearts, that is our identity. As children of God, we will experience great things here on earth and for eternity.

However, while we are in our earthly bodies, not everything we truly are will be manifested. But when Christ comes and we experience all that He has already prepared for us, we will understand many things. We will see Him as He is, and everything that is earthly will lose its appeal and importance.

When will the rapture happen?

The reality is that the Bible makes it clear that only God the Father knows when it will be.

We must understand that we are human beings, and God does not have to explain everything to us in great detail. He has told us in His Word what we need to know, and that should be enough for us.

We know that Jesus will return to gather His Church, and therefore, we need to be prepared. How do we do that? By ensuring that we have placed our faith in Jesus, receiving Him as Savior and Lord.

The Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus

Most Christians believe and are aware that the Bible speaks about the end times. However, being prophetic in nature, there are symbols and many things that are difficult to fully understand with our finite minds.

For this reason, even within the Christian community, there are a variety of interpretations regarding how the events of the end will occur and in what order. For example, when will the rapture of the Church happen? Will it be before, during, or after the Great Tribulation? Is it the same as the second coming of Jesus, or is it a different event?

When the Bible speaks about the second coming of Jesus, it refers to the moment when He will return to earth to judge all nations and reign forever. Every eye, everyone in the world will see when this happens; it will not be a secret event.

We know that both things will happen, the Bible says so. Jesus will come to gather His people to take them to live with Him for eternity. Jesus will also return as King and Judge to establish His eternal kingdom.

Only God knows with absolute certainty how this will happen, whether the events will be simultaneous or not. But what really matters is that we are sure our lives belong to God because we have received Jesus as our Savior. We must live filled with His Holy Spirit, allowing Him to always guide us so that we live according to His will.

The assurance of God's children is that in Christ we have eternal life. We will spend our eternity with Him! Glory be to the Lord!

Other articles that may interest you:

• I Am The Bread of Life: What Did Jesus Mean? (John 6:35 Explained)
• YHWH: The Meaning of God's Name in Hebrew (Tetragrammaton)
• 15 Old Testament Prophecies About Jesus That Were Fulfilled