Devotion 7 – The Rapture

As regard to Christ’s second coming, it will give us better clarity if we also divide it into two phases: the first part, His Coming in the air for the Church - The Rapture; and the second part, His Coming to the earth for the Jews.

His coming in the Air for His Bride – The Rapture

1 Thess.4:16-17 – “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord.”

“Rapture” is a term generally used to describe the glorious event in which the dead in Christ will be resurrected and, together with the living Christians, be caught up to meet Christ in the air. This means that one generation of Christians will never taste death. They will be alive on earth and suddenly, in an instant, they will be with Christ in their immortal bodies.

1 Cor.15:51-52 - “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Paul described the event occurring as ‘in the twinkling of an eye’. It indicates how brief and exceedingly fast it will take place - almost instantaneous. One moment we are on earth in our mortal bodies and the next moment, we are with Christ in the air with a transformed immortal body, a body that will not be subject to sickness, pain and death anymore.

In Secret

In this phase, it is often described as Christ coming in ‘secret’ as no one will really know the precise hour of occurrence. The time was not spelled out for us in prophecy. There would be no pre-signal given – we only know that it will happen suddenly. We are therefore instructed to cultivate an attitude of expectancy and of readiness.

Matt.24:36, 42, 44 - “Of that day and hour no one knows…Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming…Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man in coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

1 Thess.5:2 – “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

2 Pet.3:10 – “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up”

Because of such nature of the Lord’s coming, we are exhorted time and again to be watchful and prayerful so that we might not miss the time of glory. Therefore, let us heed of the exhortation, “let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1Thess 5:6), awaiting with expectancy and “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)

This verse clearly is a reference to the second coming of Christ. It is blessed because it will be a blessing to those who are ready, those with joyous anticipation.

The Removal of the Restrainer

2 Thess.2:7 – “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”

This verse indicates that the lawless one (the antichrist) will not revealed until the one who restrains is taken out of the way. Now and then, we can see some movement of lawlessness orchestrated by Satan, but somehow that is still being restrained. However, there will come a time when the ‘restrainer’ is removed to pave the way for lawlessness to fully break lose.

Who is this restrainer?

This seems to be the force that somehow exerts a spiritual influence that is restraining the floodgates of the evil one from breaking loose. It is likely that this “Restrainer” refers to the “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”, that is the Church, that is being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

1 Jn. 4:4 – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Only the Church empowered by the Holy Spirit is greater than the evil forces in the world. When the Church is taken away in the rapture during phase 1 of the Lord’s return, the floodgates of evil would then be swung open as widespread deception will come upon the people of the earth, preparing the way for the Antichrist to manifest.