Three Phases of the Rapture
Knowledge of the rapture motivates faith in God concerning it and knowing where the rapture will happen will increase your faith in God.
However, I write this post to silence the hot-air surrounding this topic and simultaneously to inform Believers in Jesus Christ concerning the certainty of its occurrence.
Many Christians believe that the rapture will transpire in the sky. Is this true? What does the Bible teach?
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
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,” (1Thessalonians 4:16-17).
When we comprehend how the Rapture will transpire and that it consisting of three phases: Resurrection, Translation, and Caught-Up, then this knowledge will inform us where the rapture will occur.
Do You Know Where the Rapture Will Happen?
Seeing that “the dead in Christ shall rise first”, let’s consider them first. What are they rising from? Maybe you had not thought about it before, but now is a good time to do that (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
The first thing you should eliminate is the grave. Because not all the dead in Christ will be buried. Some were eaten by wild beasts in Roman Stadiums.
And many died by fire which consumed them. Some perished in deep waters and eaten by man-eater of the seas. And others will die in so many different ways.
Therefore, many have no graves to rise from. Consequently, they could only rise from the dead.
Generally, too when the Bible speaks about the resurrection, it’s talking about the resurrection of the dead. They are coming back from the dead. Not the grave.
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption,” (1 Corinthians 15:42).
Will the Change Occur on the Ground?
“Irrespective of how a person died, the Lord God will assign a new and glorified body only to those who are Believers, like those of the angels in heaven.” [1]
However, irrespective of where a Believer died, the Lord shall resurrect such a one from the dead to be on the earth.
This means that if Christians died in the seas, or in a fire, or were eaten by beasts they will rise from the dead to be on the earth and even if they were lost in space.
Next, let’s talk about the second stage of the rapture and those that are already alive and on the earth.
This stage is the Change. The rapture is not a change, but it involves one. We will all be changed.
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,” (1 Corinthians 15:51).
By the time of the rapture, we won’t all be dead. People will be alive and going about their daily and regular business on earth.
However, both the living and the dead Christians will experience “the change.
Where the Rapture Will Happen Depends on This
This change shall occur on the ground. It shall happen to all the living Believers. Those who rose from the dead already experienced the change.
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed,” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
They won’t need any further transformation. They will rise “incorruptible” that’s a change from corruptible to incorruptible.
At this point, because we will all be doing our usual daily routines many Christians will be at various places.
Some will be on the ground, others will be in the air, maybe on an aircraft flying from one destination to another, some may be in the waters diving or swimming, and some may be under the ground in a subway probably traveling from London to Paris, who knows?
Will The Caught-Away Happen in the Sky?
But all the living Believers in their diverse locations shall experience the transformation together.
Then, we and those who rose from the dead are caught-away together to meet the Lord in the sky.
So the Rapture will occur wherever we are, but it’s from earth to sky. We will be taken from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. That is the rapture.
The rapture won’t happen in the air. But the meeting takes place there. The rapture or the snatching away is from earth to air.
Conclusion
Where the rapture of the Church will happen is one of the distinguishing features between it and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
When the rapture shall occur, Jesus won’t be on the earth, Christians will be here but not him. He will still be in the sky.
However, because his Second Coming is actually him returning with his church and the host of heaven, he shall snatch us out of the earth before he gets here. We will be with him when he returns, (Jude 1:14).
Finally, the rapture shall occur from earth to sky or air. Therefore, it could occur from any location connected to the earth or its atmosphere. This could include the land, waters, atmosphere or sky of earth.
Irrespective of where on earth you find yourself be ready
for your change!
I have written extensively on the rapture in my new book: “The Golden Candlestick – The Seven Spirits of God“. Get the details. Read the book. Enjoy reading!
[1] (Daley 2019)
