Raising to Life of Christians, called the "Rapture"
Question: What does it mean that the dead in Christ shall rise first in 1Thessalonians 4:16?
This is Paul’s description of the order events, when the so-called “Rapture” of Christians takes place at or approx. the same time as Jesus the Christ returns to Earth!
The timing of the Rapture of Christians (1Cor. 15:51), (Christ's Body) is the subject of much debate, and has been over many centuries. Some say prior to the "70th week" of Daniel's prophecy quoting 2Thess. 2:7, which has veracity, others at the same time as the saving of the "remnant" of Jews, which is approx. at the end of the 70th week; and many other ideas abound. However, one overriding comment repeatedly seems to give the main clue, (Rom. 5:9) which speaks of exclusion from "wrath", in fact wrath is reserved for those that "hold down", or suppress the Truth (Rom. 1:18). The most convincing and probably conclusive is 1Thess. 1:10 and 5:9, which shows not only exclusion from wrath, but also uses the word "rescued", from the wrath to come.
After that wondrous event, whatever its timing, there is time alone for the Body (True Church) with the Lord, which is a refining and reward time for individual Christians, who are now in a different body or state (Rom. 14:10), (1Cor. 3:10-15) and (2Cor. 5:10), but we are then with the Lord forever (ALWAYS) (1Thess. 4:17). The "ALWAYS", here in the Greek, has the flavour of not just time but also at His side, (or in His presence).
The Lord must then arrive on Earth the second time (called the 2nd Advent), to rescue the remnant of His people Israel, (in their flesh), to subdue and defeat by force the Nations ranged against them, to Judge the Nations, and to set up and preside in the Millennial reign. As we are told by Paul that we (true Christ-ones) are "ever", with the Lord, it is the opinion of the writers that we arrive on Earth with Christ (1Thess. 3:13) and (Jude 14).
There are some Groups that will not accept the Rapture as Scriptural, and make rather flimsy arguments to the contrary. A recent comment from the USA is that the idea originated from a woman (Margaret McDonald) in the UK in AD 1830. They assert that the well-known J.N. Darby was influenced by her at a Charismatic meeting, when she was in a "trance like state", and that the whole concept of the "Rapture" is from her!
They clearly had not done their homework carefully, as Darby had come to the Rapture conclusion three years earlier in AD 1826/7, and in fact was confirming the conclusion of many Biblical Scholars trailing backwards to AD 306 as recent documentation confirms!
http://www.revelationsmessage.co.uk/The%20Rapture%20Those%20Taken%20and%20Those%20Not.htm
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