What the Bible says about the Rapture (and when will it be?)

The Bible says that when the dead in Christ are resurrected, all Christians who are alive will be raptured to Heaven. No one knows when this will happen, but it will be in the last times.

The rapture is when the saved who are alive will be taken to Heaven, with Jesus, without dying (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Enoch and Elijah were raptured and ascended alive to Heaven (Genesis 5:24; 2 Kings 2:11). Jesus also, after he was resurrected, ascended to Heaven, while his disciples looked on (Acts of the Apostles 1:9-10).

When will the rapture be?

The rapture will happen when Jesus returns to seek the saved, in the last times (John 14:2-3). Jesus will give the order, a trumpet will sound, Jesus will descend to the earth, the dead will rise and then the living will be raptured (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). No one knows when this will be and it could happen at any time, so we must always be prepared.

There is much debate about whether it will happen before, during, or after the great tribulation mentioned in

Matthew 24:21

.The two main theories are:

Pre-tribulation

Some people believe that the rapture of the church will happen before the great tribulation , leaving all who do not believe on earth to suffer. They also believe that some can still be saved after the rapture. In this case, the second coming of Jesus would take place on another occasion, long after the rapture. Unlike the second coming of Jesus, the rapture would take place in secret, leaving many people confused.

Post-tribulation

Other people believe that the saved will be raptured after the great tribulation . This will happen at the time of the second coming of Jesus. The dead will rise and the saved who are alive will be raptured and Jesus will bring judgment and justice on the earth. The rapture and second coming of Jesus will not happen in distinct phases.

Since we don't know the future , it's impossible to say with absolute certainty whether any of these theories are right. Much of what is written about the end of times is symbolic and it all depends on how we interpret the symbols. It's also good to remember that God has a very different notion of time than we do (2 Peter 3:8).

The most important thing about the rapture is that it will happen one day. Knowing when and how is not essential. Knowing it will happen gives us good motivation to continue following Christ and get our lives straightened out (2 Peter 3:14). The Rapture is the promise of eternal life for all who accept Jesus as their savior (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).