Gospel Testimonies

When Will the Rapture Happen? What Does It Say in God's Words?

By Jianmo, U.S.

Today, catastrophes around the world are becoming ever-more severe. The news is filled with stories of plagues, earthquakes, floods, and droughts. Have you ever thought to yourself: The prophecies of the have been fulfilled, so why have we still not welcomed the Lord? If this carries on, when arrives, will we, too, not be plunged into disaster? Just when will the Lord take us up into the heavenly kingdom?

When We Are Raptured, Will We Really Be Raised Into the Sky?

Many believers in the Lord have read these words in the Bible: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). They long to be raised into the sky and meet the Lord when He comes. But in fact, these words weren't actually spoken by the Lord Jesus, nor are they a prophecy of the Book of Revelation. They are but the words of the apostle Paul. Is it correct to rely on the words of Paul in the matter of welcoming the Lord's coming? Can the words of Paul represent that of the Lord? How the Lord of the last days arrives, and how He takes those who believe in Him into the kingdom is the work of . Paul was merely an apostle who spread the message for the Lord; how could he know such things? Welcoming the arrival of the Lord is an enormously important matter, one in which it is only correct for us to rely on the words of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus said, "Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6: 9–10). The Book of Revelation also contains the following prophecies: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.... And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:2–3). "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). In these prophecies, the words "coming down from God out of heaven," "the tabernacle of God is with men," and "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ," show that God will establish His kingdom on earth, and that the destination He has arranged for man is also on earth. Is our constant wish to be raised into heaven not of our own notions and imaginings? And is this not walking a divergent path from God?

The reality is that God has never spoken of raising people up into the sky, and this is something we can recognize from the facts of God's work. In the beginning, God made man from dust and placed him in the Garden of Eden, where he lived and worshipped God properly. During the time of Noah, God did not raise Noah and his family into the sky to escape the floods, either; instead, He ordered Noah to take the practical action of building an ark on earth. Late in the Age of Law, people faced the danger of being put to death for violating God's laws. God did not raise them up into the air to obtain sin offerings, but instead personally became flesh and came to earth, where He was actually crucified for mankind, delivering humanity from sin. From this we can see that God has continually worked on earth for man's , guiding mankind in living and worshipping God. Our constant longing to be taken up into the sky is clearly at odds with the will of God!

What Is Rapture Before the Great Tribulation?

Some of you may be unclear about what "being raptured" actually refers to. To understand this, let us first see what the words of God say. God said, "'Being caught up' is not being taken from a low place to a high place as people imagine. This is a huge mistake. Being caught up is referring to My predestining and selecting. It is targeted at all those I have predestined and chosen. Those who have gained the status of firstborn son, the status of sons, or people, are all those who have been caught up. This is most incompatible with people's notions. Those who have a share in My house in the future are all people who have been caught up before Me. This is absolutely true, never-changing, and cannot be refuted by anybody. This is the counterattack against Satan. Anyone I predestined shall be caught up before Me" ("Chapter 104" of Utterances of Christ in the Beginning in ). These words tell us that being raptured is not being taken into the sky to meet the Lord as we imagined; instead, it means being able to accept and obey the new work of God after hearing His voice, closely following the footsteps of the Lamb, and coming before God when He comes to earth and performs work. Only this is true rapture. It's just as when the Lord Jesus came to do the work of redemption: Peter, the Samaritan woman, James and others recognized the voice of the Lord when they heard His words and determined that He was the Messiah who was to come. As a result, they received the Lord's salvation and were all raised up before the Lord during the Age of Grace. All who in the last days welcome the return of the Lord and accept God's current work are those who follow the footsteps of the Lamb, and who are raised up before the Lord!