The Rapture of the Church

(Class Notes)

• The Rapture (Latin, "rapturo") literally means a "snatching up" of believers to meet the Lord in the air (I Thessalonians 4:17)
  • Paul also refers to this event as "our gathering together unto Him" (II Thessalonians 2:1)
  • At the first trump of the Rapture the dead in Christ will be raised (I Thessalonians 4:16)
  • At the last (second) trump of the Rapture the living believers "shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:52)

• The Rapture will occur before the Day of the Lord (II Thessalonians 2:2-3) - "the falling away" (Greek, "apostasia") literally means "the departure"
  • The root verb (Greek, "aphisteemi") literally means "depart"
  • The context determines from what is the departure, e.g. (Luke 2:37; Acts 12:10; I Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 3:12)
  • In the context of II Thessalonians 2, "the departure (falling away)" of verse 3 refers to the "our gathering together unto Him" of verse 1
  • Paul reminds these Thessalonian believers that he had already shared these things with them earlier (II Thessalonians 2:5 cf. I Thessalonians 5:1-5)

• It is "the Church, which is His Body" (Ephesians 1:22-23), i.e. "the One New Man" (Ephesians 2:14-16) - that is the "HE" that "holds fast" the full revelation of the Antichrist accompanied with "signs and lying wonders" (II Thessalonians 2:6-9)
  • Paul encourages the Church with "our gathering together unto Him" (II Thessalonians 2:1 cf. I Thessalonians 4:17) , which must first occur before the revelation of the "man of sin" (II Thessalonians 2:2-3)

• Apostate Israel will believe "the Lie" (Antichrist) because they did not receive "the love of the Truth (Christ)" (II Thessalonians 2:10-12 cf. John 5:43; Isaiah 28:14-18)
  • The Lie is to worship the creation over the Creator (Romans 1:25 cf. Revelation 14:6-7)

• The Church which has believed the Truth (Christ) has "the good hope through grace" (II Thessalonians 2:13,16) that it has been delivered "from the wrath to come" (I Thessalonians 1:10; I Thessalonians 5:9)
  • The deliverance is promised to each believer in the Church - regardless of whether they are "watching (awake)" or "sleeping" (I Thessalonians 5:6,9-10)

Study Outline

Audio Message #1

Audio Message #2