The Bible describes an event that will shock the world when it happens. It’s one you don’t want to miss.
In simple terms, the rapture is a single moment. Millions of people will suddenly vanish from the earth.
Imagine that happening. What would your reaction be?
It sounds unbelievable, but there’s good reason to think it will happen, and possibly soon. If you believe the rapture has already taken place, read Missed the Rapture – what now?
What does the rapture mean?
The event is laid out clearly in scripture. Paul tells the Thessalonians that believers who have died will rise first, and those still alive will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air:
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 one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NIV)
He tells the Corinthians the same thing will happen “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye”:
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. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NIV)
And Jesus himself promises his followers that he will come back to take them to be with him:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3 NIV)
These passages speak for themselves. A trumpet will sound. Jesus will return to meet his believers. Both the dead and the living will be taken from earth to meet him in the air – instantly, with no warning and no choice in the matter.
The rapture appears to mark the end of the true Church as we know it, and the beginning of the fearful “day of the Lord.”
What is the purpose of the rapture?
We believe the rapture removes and protects believers from a period the Bible names in several ways: the day of wrath (Psalm 110:5, Isaiah 13:9), the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2:11, 31), the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), and the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21, Revelation 7:14).
Few periods in scripture are described in as much detail. It’s a time of unprecedented terror – no one in their right mind would choose to live through it.
Revelation 6-19 outlines the scale of it: natural disasters on a global scale, cosmic upheaval, poisoned water systems, devastating plagues, and hundreds of millions, possibly billions, of deaths. Nobody escapes its effects.
We don’t believe true followers of Christ will experience any of this. If you’re saved, you’re no longer under God’s wrath, you’re forgiven. And since the purpose of this period is to punish sin, there’s no reason for someone whose sin has already been forgiven to go through it.
Paul makes this point directly: Jesus rescues us from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10), and God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through him (1 Thessalonians 5:9). In Revelation, Jesus promises to keep believers from “the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world” (Revelation 3:10-11).
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NIV)
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:9 NIV)
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:10-11 NIV)
If you’re saved through Christ, there’s no purpose in you suffering the great tribulation. God will have his own witnesses during this period instead – Revelation describes 144,000 Jewish evangelists, alongside two witnesses in chapter 11.
There’s a structural clue here too. The church is addressed directly in Revelation chapters 2-3, then disappears entirely from chapters 4-19. We believe that’s because those chapters describe the great tribulation, which happens after the rapture removes the church.
Will this happen soon?
From a prophetic standpoint, we believe the rapture could happen at any moment. The stage appears to be set. This could be the next major event on the horizon.
We can’t know exactly when it will happen. We only know that it will.
Scripture gives us signs to recognise how close we are, but we’re told not to try to predict the date. Instead, we’re told to live as though it could happen at any moment.
Jesus tells his followers to watch and pray, so they’ll be able to stand before him (Luke 21:36). And Hebrews promises salvation “to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).
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 Man. (Luke 21:36 NIV)
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28 NIV, emphasis added)
Even a casual look at world events suggests difficult times lie ahead, just as scripture describes. These signs exist to warn us, so that no one who misses the rapture can claim they had no warning. If the signs that precede the great tribulation are already visible, the rapture could happen at any moment. Read our Are we living in the end times? article for more.
Does the word “rapture” appear in the Bible?
“Rapture” comes from the Latin rapio – to forcibly seize and carry away. That word translates the Greek harpazo, which appears throughout the New Testament and means to seize suddenly or snatch.
Christians who believe in the rapture are sometimes told the doctrine isn’t biblical because the English word doesn’t appear in most translations. But the Greek word behind it appears many times in the original text.
Even if it didn’t, that wouldn’t disprove the concept, the idea is clearly taught throughout scripture, as we’ve shown above. Plenty of biblical concepts don’t have a single dedicated word. “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible either, yet the concept runs through it clearly.
Is there other support for the rapture in scripture?
Yes, several examples show a consistent pattern of God removing his people before judgement falls.
Noah didn’t experience the flood. He and his family were removed before judgement arrived.
Lot was removed from Sodom before its destruction, sparing him the punishment that followed.
Enoch and Elijah were both taken from the world without experiencing death at all.
This pattern gives the rapture historical precedent within scripture, not just a single proof text.
How should we respond?
Even if the rapture doesn’t happen soon, followers of Christ should live as though it could. Taking it seriously should motivate Christians to share the gospel and live God-centred lives.
If you’re already a Christian: are you ready? Are you living as though Christ could return at any moment? The rapture is a remarkable promise, hold onto it.
If you’re not yet a follower of Christ, consider this a warning. Picture millions of Christians disappearing from around the world in an instant. How would you react?
That kind of event should be enough to convince anyone the Bible is trustworthy and to make the costly decision to follow Christ. Our Can you prove the Bible? page explains why scripture can be trusted.
If it happens and you find yourself still here, find a Bible and read it – that’s where you’ll find the truth about salvation. Expect world leaders to offer their own explanations for what happened. Satan knows the rapture is coming, and knows it will cause chaos. He’s already preparing deceptions to keep people from the truth once it does.
It’s striking that even amid the upheaval of the great tribulation, Revelation shows many people still refusing to acknowledge God, hiding instead of turning to him. Don’t let that be you. Paul warns that people will be deceived because they refused to love the truth, and so a powerful delusion will lead them to believe the lie instead:
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NIV)
God is patient. He is slow to anger. But he cannot ignore rebellion forever without compromising his own justice.
Mankind’s rejection of its Creator deserves judgement. As rebellion reaches its climax, that judgement will fall on everyone, but the door to forgiveness through Jesus Christ remains open to all. Your place in the rapture costs nothing.
See our How to be saved page to find out how to secure yours.
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21 NIV)