The Rapture
(1st Corinthians 15:51-53; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:1-3;
Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2)
The Rapture is that split-second in time when Jesus will step out of heaven and into earth’s sky and snatch away the bodies of all Christians. We get the word “Rapture” from the Latin word rapere. This is the Latin translation for “caught up” (1st Thessalonians 4:17). According to Bible prophecy, the Rapture could take place at any moment (Colossians 3:4).
At the Rapture, Jesus will begin with the bodies of deceased Christians (1st Thessalonians 4:16). These bodies will all be resurrected, changed into glorified bodies, and caught up to be with Christ in the air. Once with Christ in the air, these bodies will be reunited with the Christian souls that once inhabited them. Jesus will bring these souls with Him from heaven (1st Thessalonians 4:14).
Once Jesus is finished snatching away the bodies of deceased Christians, He will then snatch away the bodies of living Christians (1st Thessalonians 4:17). Obviously, there will be no need for these bodies to be resurrected. They will, however, be changed into glorified bodies and caught up to be with Jesus. Christians alive at the time of the Rapture will never taste death.
And what is a glorified body like? First, it is the person’s same body. It’s not the trading in of one body for another one. It is the person’s exact same body, only glorified. Second, a glorified body is a body like the one Jesus had after His resurrection. A person in a glorified body can eat and drink (John 21:1-14) and even pass through solid objects (John 20:19-29). This last thought might indicate that the Rapture will not tear up graveyards. Remember that Christ’s resurrection did not mess up His tomb. His resurrection body simply passed through the solid rock.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Rapture is that it will all play out in less than a second. It will occur “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1st Corinthians 15:52). The Greek word that is translated as “moment” is atomos. It is the word that gives us our English word atom. The Rapture will take place in an “atom” of time. Using the other description, how long does it take an eye to twinkle? That is the duration of the entire Rapture.
It is important to understand that the Rapture is exclusively for Christians. The bodies of Old Testament believers will not be resurrected during the Rapture. The Rapture is only for people who were saved during the “church age.” The “church age” began on the day of Pentecost that followed Christ’s resurrection (Acts chapter 2) and will end at the moment of the Rapture. The day of Pentecost and the moment of the Rapture are the two bookend events of the “church age.” The “church” consists of each and every Christian who lived between these bookend events.
It seems highly probable that the bodies of the children who died under the age of accountability (Jonah 4:11) will be resurrected at the Rapture. These souls are with the Lord now (2nd Samuel 12:22-23). This would even include the “bodies” of babies who were aborted or miscarried. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what these glorified bodies will look like. For example, we aren’t told what appearance of age the bodies will have. What we do know is that these bodies will be like Jesus (1st John 3:2) and conformed to Christ’s image (Romans 8:29). We also know that saved people will serve the Lord in the heavenly city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:1-3). Someone in an infant’s body cannot truly serve in this way. Therefore, these bodies must have some maturity and age about them. They can walk, talk, and serve.
Along the same lines, it also seems likely that the bodies of the children who are alive and under the age of accountability will be taken in the Rapture. This would be consistent with teaching on the age of accountability. It would also be consistent with the justness of God. Would God really snatch away Christian parents and leave their little children to fend for themselves? That just doesn’t line up with the character and nature of the God of the Bible. Again, we can’t say exactly what these children’s glorified bodies will look like, but we can say that God can always be trusted to do right. He will give them the bodies they should have for eternity.