How Will the World Explain the Rapture?

"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will all be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

The Rapture of the Church. It is Christianity's most preposterous belief. The very idea that a Savior from the sky is coming to get a particular group of people, that dead bodies will be raised back to life, and those alive at that moment will be changed into a new body suitable for heaven before being snatch away from this earth seems more like the work of science fiction than unadulterated biblical truth. But this is exactly what the Bible teaches. Jesus promised His followers that he would return for them at some future time (see John 14:1-3). The Apostle Paul described this still future event when he wrote, "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians4:15-17).

The purpose for this article is not to defend the doctrine of the Pre-Trib Rapture of the Church. I'll save that for a future article. In this musing I want to consider how the world might go about explaining the disappearance of millions of people worldwide. Some explanation will most certainly be offered and I suspect Satan will, in a very direct but deceptive way, join in on the explanation. If millions of people have disappeared and you are reading this article in your search to figure out what has happened, please don't let anyone deceive you. The explanation the world will offer you will not be true. And the deceptive intervention from those who might seem other worldly will be just as false, no matter how 'miraculously convincing' their explanation appears.

The Rapture of the Church will occur at some future time just prior to the Return of Christ to this earth. This earth-shaking event will occur at seven or more years before Jesus' Second Coming. Since nearly every prophetic trend pointing to the soon start of that seven year period the Bible calls the Tribulation is accelerating and converging, we can only conclude the Tribulation is near. This can only mean the Rapture is close at hand. No one knows the day or the hour of the Rapture but the season of the Rapture is undoubtedly upon us. When it occurs the world will naturally be thrown into utter chaos. This will be in addition to whatever chaos is already occurring due to the ever increasing, accelerating and converging trends that are already in play. Those left behind will be looking for answers. Below are some of the possible answers you can expect and the one I believe will be at the top of the list of answers and will be convincingly offered to a world in chaos. There may certainly be additional possibilities not noted below. My list isn't meant to be exhaustive, only thought provoking.

1. It wasn't the Rapture, because we're still here -- Many of those left behind will have heard about the Rapture from Christian loved ones and friends. They will immediately conclude it was the Rapture. But, among those left behind will be some pretty prominent "Christian" religious leaders and even pastors. They will opine the disappearances could not possibly be the Rapture because, after all, they are still here.

2. Secret military technology -- Kind of far fetched in my opinion but I can see world leaders suggesting secret military technology by a hostile adversary as the culprit behind the disappearances.

3. Quantum leap in the human evolutionary process -- I wouldn't be surprised if many, if not all of the New Age practitioners and gurus suggest this idiotic idea as the reason for all the disappearances. They may say something along the lines of the 'vibrations' of all those who disappeared were out of harmony with the rest (those left behind) and who will be leaping forward in the evolutionary process. Another twist could be that those who disappeared are the ones who have made a quantum leap in the human evolutionary process and those left behind will need to fall in line if they have any hope of catching up with their evolved loved ones.

4. UFO's, UAE's, aliens, and the alien mother ship -- Although I am listing this explanation last, I believe it will be at the top of the list of explanations for the disappearances. I believe world leaders will not only offer this as the explanation but they will be assisted by the appearance of UFO's and aliens which will be nothing more than demons masquerading as our alien brothers or maybe even our creators. They will 'arrive' via so called UFO's that will, for the first time, be clear and easily observable by those left behind. It will be one of the greatest deceptions pulled off by Satan--the father of lies. In fact, this may very well be the grand delusion God sends upon an unbelieving world or at least a part of it. The Apostle Paul writes, "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness" (2 Thessalonians 2:11). God will use Satan and eventually the Antichrist as His instruments of judgment.

Let's consider option 4 a little further. Hollywood, for example, has produced numerous movies in recent years about visitors from outer space. I'm convinced some of Hollywood's movie producers are getting their scripts from unseen sources. Could it be that Satan is using a mostly godless Hollywood to prepare the masses? Even more convincing than Hollywood is news reports of government confirmation of UFO's (or what the government refers to now as UAE's -- Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon) that began to trickle out a few years ago and is now reported with regularity. Here are a few news reports that have capture my attention and indicate to me the Tribulation Period is soon to start which can only mean the Rapture is close at hand.

1. I've seen the saucers: Obama weighs in as US interest in UFOs rises. This CBS 60 Minutes report appeared on May 20, 2021. "Obama was asked about the issue of UFOs during an interview on Tuesday, the former president confirming 'footage and records' of unidentified objects exist... What is true, and I'm actually being serious here, is that there's footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don't know exactly what they are, we can't explain how they moved, their trajectory,' Obama told CBS." https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/20/ufo-obama-cbs-60-minutes-america-alienswww.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/20/ufo-obama-cbs-60-minutes-america-aliens

2. 'Something's coming': is America finally ready to take UFOs seriously? This article appeared on February 5, 2022. "Last year was a breakthrough time for UFOs, as a landmark government report prompted the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors to finally be taken seriously by everyone from senators, to a former president, to the Pentagon... In June, the Pentagon released a highly anticipated report on unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP), the now preferred nomenclature by some in the extraterrestrial community, which found ore than 140 instances of UAPs that could not be explained." https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/05/ufos-america-aliens-government-report

3. Hundreds more UFO sightings included in latest report. It's not just 2022 and preceding years. 2023 has seen its fair share of UFO and UAE reports. On January 12, 2023, CBS News reported, "The office tracking reports of UFOs has added nearly 400 additional sightings to its catalog over the last year, either because of new sightings or older sightings discovered in existing files, bringing the total number of UFO sightings to over 500." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hundreds-more-ufo-sightings-included-latest-report/

4. Could aliens be investigating us? It's more likely than you think. "Aliens may be sending us very small 'dandelion see' probes to gather information, according to a news article appearing in the March 28, 2023 edition of The Jerusalem Post. "Pentagon officials wrote in a document released earlier this month that it is entirely possible that aliens are vising our solar system and releasing tiny probes to perform small-scale reconnaissance missions like the ones the National Aeronautics and Spaced Administration (NASA) conducts on other planets." https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-735664

Although UFO's and other worldly visitors have been described by humankind going back millennia, the real uptick in UFO activity seems to have begun in 1947 and has continued to what we have read about, heard about, and witnessed today. I find the 1947 date interesting as it is one year prior to the rebirth of Israel in sovereign fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8. The modern Zionist movement--a religious and political effort that brought thousands of Jews from around the world back to their ancient homeland in the Middle East and reestablished the nation can be traced back at least as far as 1894.

By 1947, I believe it had become obvious to Satan that God was about to fulfill His promises made in an everlasting covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Genesis 12, 13, and 15). Since Satan is probably well aware of the coming Tribulation Period and the Rapture of the church that precedes it, it's no wonder that he and his minions would ramp up their spiritually deceptive practices of misleading men and women to believe the foolishness of aliens from outer space arriving via flying saucers or something similar. I believe what we are seeing today is yet another prophetic trend that is accelerating and converging with other prophetic trends all pointing to the to the fact the Tribulation Period is coming upon an unsuspecting world. I am fairly convinced that when the Rapture occurs, Satan and Company will be ready to further deceive the masses with a deluding influence explaining away the sudden disappearance of millions of people worldwide.

I believe the Rapture will occur any moment. It could very well be the catalyst that catapults the world into the final form of the ancient Roman Empire with its 10 kings who ultimately give their authority to the Antichrist. But I also believe it's possible it may not occur until sometime after the world morphs into 10 geopolitical regions and the 10 kings begin to rise to power. The disappearances followed by the arrival of humanity's 'ancient space brothers' arriving to 'set things right,' might be the perfect scenario to bring in the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2:3)--the Antichrist himself--who rises from among the 10 kings and to whom the 10 kings give all of their authority.

Will things work out this way? I'll admit, I am doing a lot of speculating so I'm not dogmatic about it. As I mentioned in a previous article, as the fog continues to lift, things will come into sharper focus. We will see things more clearly. In other words, time will tell. Of course, we may not be around to see it as the Rapture may very well occur right now!

——St Melito of Sardis actually wrote

Among the Syriac fragments of Melito published by Cureton is one from a work “On Faith,” which contains a remarkable christological creed, an eloquent expansion of the Regula Fidei:

The Lord Jesus Christ is acknowledged as the perfect Reason, the Word of God; who was begotten before the light; who was Creator with the Father; who was the Fashioner of man; who was all things in all; Patriarch among the patriarchs, Law in the law, Chief Priest among the priests, King among the kings, Prophet among the prophets, Archangel among the angels; He piloted Noah, conducted Abraham, was bound with Isaac, exiled with Jacob, was Captain with Moses; He foretold his own sufferings in David and the prophets; He was incarnate in the Virgin; worshipped by the Magi; He healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, was rejected by the people, condemned by Pilate, hanged upon the tree, buried in the earth, rose from the dead and appeared to the apostles, ascended to heaven; He is the Rest of the departed, the Recoverer of the lost, the Light of the blind, the Refuge of the afflicted, the Bridegroom of the Church, the Charioteer of the cherubim, the Captain of angels; God who is of God, the Son of the Father, the King for ever and ever.
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2.v.xv.xix.html

——“Archangel among the angels” does not mean that Jesus was a literal angel rather than God…

Of course Jesus Christ isn’t a literal, created angel. That would be silly.

——While all of these phrases…

Archangel among the angels is INCLUDED in those phrases. Melito CLEARLY means to say that it is a divine title/description/role of, Christ. That’s why he said it, dude. Yes, even Bishop Melito of Sardis saw that.

Jesus Christ took on the role of Michael the archangel, as he did with the Captain of the host (angels). He is ALSO called the angel of the Lord, the angel of God, and the angel of the covenant. Is He a LITERAL, CREATED angel? NO, of course not, because that would silly. Jesus Christ is God.

By the way, Melito’s inclusion of the role “Captain of the angels” is a direct reference to “Captain of the host (OF ANGELS), in Joshua 5.

You are clearly wrong. No doubt about it.

You seemingly are agreeing with me at times, so maybe its just semantics? You quoted Galatians 6:15-16, so let's start there.

13 For even the circumcised [Jews] themselves do not [really] keep the Law, but they want to have you circumcised in order that they may glory in your flesh (your subjection to external rites).
14 But far be it from me to glory [in anything or anyone] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!
15 For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in Christ Jesus, the Messiah].
16 Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and regulate their lives by this principle], even upon the [true] Israel of God! [Ps. 125:5.] Galatians 6:13-16 AMP

I expanded the passage for clarity. If there is a NEW creature, there was an old, correct? Just keep that in the back of your mind. In the Body of Christ, the works of the Law do not matter. It is by Grace through faith we are Saved, or made alive in Christ! (Ephesians 2:1-9)
Paul is addressing Gentiles, finally fully embracing his calling.

11 Therefore, remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands.
12 [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God’s agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
14 For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,
15 By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.
16 And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.
17 And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near. [Isa. 57:19.]
18 For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].
19 Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.
Ephesians 2:11–19 AMP (The whole chapter (Eph 2) is germane to this discussion)

Is it not clear that this is a NEW Body, where the old ways are set aside? And those who reject Jesus, whether Jews or Gentiles, are not parts of the Body? Is any Christian required to get circumcised? Do you carry a lamb to Temple to sacrifice? Is there a priesthood descended from Aaron? Absolutely not. Those ordinances were for the Jews alone. Why?
There are roughly 16 million Jews who REJECT Jesus as the Messiah, many are openly hostile to even the suggestion. But there are 350k Messianic Jews, who believe in Jesus as the Messiah, although some cling to the Jewish religious traditions, and do not fully enjoy the LIBERTY we have IN CHRIST.

BEFORE JESUS, there were two identified groups on the planet - Israel (Jews) and Nations (Gentiles, Greeks). Paul introduces a 3rd Group - They are taught the Word individually, as opposed to as a group. And most importantly:

28 There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.
Galatians 3:28-29 AMP

Who is Paul describing? Why are we Abraham's seed (not physical descendants, but spiritual). Because his righteousness came by faith, not the Law (actually BEFORE THE LAW). Gen 15:6, Rom 4, Galatians 3:6-9, Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-19.

The Church, I prefer Body of Christ or Believers to avoid the very confusion we are discussing is a NEW BODY, made up of Believers, individuals from both groups who through Faith in Jesus, are made alive in Christ. Paul defines the three groups now on Earth.
32 Do not let yourselves be [hindrances by giving] an offense to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God [do not lead others into sin by your mode of life]; 1 Corinthians 10:32 AMP

If Paul discerns THREE groups on Earth, shouldn't BELIEVERS?

You dismiss dispensationalism, but equate any religious writing over the last 1500 years to be equal or better than Scripture! If Kermit the Hermit gives an opinion in the 4th century, who cares if he is wrong? What does the Word say? And if one can't CLEARLY discern divisions in God's Word, the Bible will be hopelessly confusing. Even Paul claims people were dismissing his Revelation while he was still alive. Who were the primary culprits - Judaizers, pagans, and Rome. And you can see that clearly in the ECF writing, which often teach a Gospel quite different than Paul.

This is from Bullinger. There are others out there, but this is adequate for our purposes.

● 1st. The Edenic state ended in the expulsion from Eden.
● 2nd. The Period without Law ended with the Flood and the Judgment on Babel.
● 3rd. The Period under Law ended in the Rejection of Israel.
● 4th. The Dispensation of Grace will end in the Rapture of the Church, and "the Day of the Lord."
● 5th. The Dispensation of Judgment will end in the Destruction of Anti-Christ.
● 6th. The Millennium will end in the Destruction of Satan, and the Judgment of the Great White throne.
● 7th. Will have "no end."
How anyone with the slightest Biblical understanding can dispute the above is beyond me. You may not understand it. And that is OK. Just recognize that within each ADMINISTRATION - if you prefer, God interacted differently with people. For proof, just compare the OT Jewish person's religious activities to your own. Is there not a CLEAR difference. Something changed, in this case, God had a HIDDEN plan from before the Foundation of the Earth, to build a Body with Jesus as the Head. The offer to Israel to receive their King was there for almost 40 years, but their leadership rejected their King, so the time of the Gentiles continued, Jerusalem was trodden down, Temple destroyed and the Jewish people scattered to the world. They were set aside for a time. And God would now work with individuals, not by the Law, but by Grace. Its so perfect in its design. He temporarily lost His servants, but gained children!

25 Lest you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in,
26 And so all Israel will be saved. As it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. [Isa. 59:20, 21.]
27 And this will be My covenant (My agreement) with them when I shall take away their sins. [Isa. 27:9; Jer. 31:33.]
28 From the point of view of the Gospel (good news), they [the Jews, at present] are enemies [of God], which is for your advantage and benefit. But from the point of view of God’s choice (of election, of divine selection), they are still the beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers.
29 For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]
30 Just as you were once disobedient and rebellious toward God but now have obtained [His] mercy, through their disobedience,
31 So they also now are being disobedient [when you are receiving mercy], that they in turn may one day, through the mercy you are enjoying, also receive mercy [that they may share the mercy which has been shown to you—through you as messengers of the Gospel to them].
Romans 11:25-31 AMP

Read that passage carefully. We are NOT one big happy family, or a continuation of Judaism. Believers are the BODY of Christ made up of individuals who ONCE were considered Jews and Gentiles, but NOW ONE IN CHRIST. Israel's hope is all the unfulfilled promises of the OT. Our hope is to be with Jesus when He appears. (Colossians 3)

I am running out of time, and I wanted to share a bit more on rightly dividing the Word. Because again, if you attempt to apply what belongs to Israel under the Law to the Body of Christ - or vice versa, you end up in the religious ditch.

I quote Bullinger once more to save time.

To those who lived under the Law it could rightly and truly be said: "It shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us" (Deut 6:25). But to those who live in this present Dispensation of grace, it is as truly declared, "By the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight" (Rom 3:20; see also Gal 2:16, 3:11, &c.). But this is the very opposite of Deuteronomy 6:25! What then are we to say, or to do? Which of these two statements is true? and which is false?

The answer is, that neither is false. But both are true if we rightly divide the Word of truth as to its Dispensational truth and teaching.

And because folks fail to rightly divide the Word, and do not understand its dispensational nature, they fail to understand what belongs to them. Note these ECF quotes. They are completely at odds with Paul's Revelation and teaching for Believers. Multiply that times multiple centuries of confused theologians and you have a hot mess. Stick to the Word - but rightly divide it!

2 If thou art able to bear the whole yoke of the Lord, thou wilt be perfect; but if thou art not able, what thou art able, that do.The Didache: The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles. 6:2

1 But as for your fasts, let them not be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth days of the week, but do ye fast on the fourth and sixth days.
2 Neither pray ye as the hypocrites, but as the Lord hath commanded in his gospel so pray ye: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done as in heaven so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debt, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil: for thine is the power, and the glory, for ever.
3 Thrice a day pray ye in this fashion. The Didache: The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles. 8:1-3

3 Thou shalt, therefore, take the first-fruits of every produce of the wine-press and threshing-floor, of oxen and sheep, and shalt give it to the prophets, for they are your chief priests;The Didache: The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles. 13:3

This will be my last post on this thread. Though I enjoy this, I am falling behind on some critical work. I've been studying the Word for 50 years. I fought this battle in college with professors and fellow students. I KNOW in whom I believe. There is not a theologian alive that will change what I know in my spirit. I admire your zeal. Fight for what you believe, as do I. I do examine other opinions cause it often makes me sharpen and defend what I know.

I don't believe in religion. Its caused my family much pain, and has been utterly useless in my life. I love God, because He loves me, and never fails to come through when I need HIM - and sometimes He just surprises me with His favor. I love His Word. For those with ears to hear, it speaks TRUTH. And its so easy a child can understand. (Psalm 119:130)

May God Richly Bless You!

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