Part 4 – The Rapture of “The Body of Christ”

This installment will address the ‘catching away’ or Rapture of the “the church, which is His body.” God’s plan includes the full “redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23). Currently and since the fall of man in Adam the whole fallen creation “groaneth and travaileth (struggles) in pain together until now” (Rom 8:22). With the Rapture, all the negative of life in this world, with its many hurts, will have been concluded for every grace gospel believer.

Only the Apostle Paul, as “THE (one) Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13), gives us information concerning what we call the Rapture of all the members of the Gentile “the body of Christ’”

Many mistakenly try to apply verses in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 wherein Jesus speaks of the “signs” (Luke 21:25) of His coming to set up His Millennial Kingdom reign on earth. They mistakenly apply them to the Rapture of “the body of Christ.”

But these verses refer to the Tribulation period, the survivors of the Tribulation and Christ’s 2^nd Coming to earth. He returns to save Israel at the end the Tribulation, and to set up His Kingdom on earth. Such verses do NOT concern the Rapture of the Gentile “body of Christ.” In fact none of the words of Jesus of Nazareth, nor does the Book of Revelation, have anything to do with the Rapture. The Rapture precedes the Tribulation followed by His 2^nd coming that Jesus does address. Remember Jesus said He had come only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 15:24). With the Rapture Christ never sets His feet upon the earth (1Thes 4:17); by contrast, at His 2^nd coming, Christ will set His feet upon “the mounts of Olives” (Act 1:11).

Consider Jesus’ words in Matt 24:27, where the “carcasses” are of those who die in the Tribulation.

“²⁷For as the lightning (suddenly) cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN be. ²⁸ For WHERESOEVER the CARCASE is, there will the EAGLES BE GATHERED TOGETHER.  

(These gathered “eagles” will eat the carcasses of the dead of the Great Tribulation. These are the “fowls” of Revelation 19:18. Consider the other Biblical references to ‘fowls, eagles, and ravens’ eating the dead after other judgments. Jesus said these events will occur before He comes again. This is a literal prophecy, not a parable.

Luke writes here in Luke 21:36-37 concerning the very same prophecy of Jesus that is seen in Matthew 24:40-44, referring to the “one taken” as being the dead eaten by eagles. These are the dead of the Tribulation judgments before Christ sets up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

 “³⁶Two men shall be in the field; the ONE SHALL BE TAKEN, and the other LEFT. ³⁷And they (Jesus’ disciples) answered and said unto him, (Taken) WHERE, LORD? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body (the flesh body, the carcass) is, thither will the EAGLES be gathered together.” (Read Luke 17:33-37.)

(The “taken” are not being raptured to heaven. They are taken to the death of judgment, after which the “eagles” (fowls) eat their flesh. The ones left are the Messianic Kingdom believers who will enter Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.)

In Rev. 19:18, John writes similarly of “fowls” who will “eat the flesh” of the dead of the Tribulation period.

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all THE FOWLS that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; ¹⁸That ye may EAT THE FLESH of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Many Christians mistakenly think Jesus is referring to the Rapture in Matthew 24 and Luke 17, that the “one taken” is Raptured, while those ‘left behind’ will suffer the Tribulation, but this is exactly wrong. Note these four points.

1. First, this will occur several years after the Rapture of “the body of Christ,” near the end of the Tribulation period.

2. Those “taken” are killed by the judgments; their bodies are to be eaten by the fowls.

3. Those NOT “taken,” are those ‘Kingdom Gospel’ believers who are left alive on earth. These are the Kingdom believers who survive the Tribulation judgments, permitting them to go on… into Christ’s Theocratic Millennial Kingdom on earth.

4. So, it is a good thing for ‘Messianic Kingdom believers’ to be left and Not “taken” in death.

Note that Jesus continued in Matthew 24 by saying “as the days of Noah were, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man” (Matt 24:37). In Noah’s day the flood ‘took’ all the unbelievers away, only Noah and his family survived, left on THE EARTH to go on. So shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man when the lost are to be “taken” away in death (Matt 24:39), while the ‘Messianic Kingdom Gospel’ believers of Israel are left on earth to go on into the Millennial Kingdom.

Note in Matthew 24:29;

… Immediately after THE TRIBULATION of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven (asteroids?), and THE “POWERS” (the evil angelic host) OF THE HEAVENS SHALL BE SHAKEN (toppled)” (Matt 24:27-29).

(Satan, Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the fallen host of angels will be toppled just prior to the actual 2^nd coming of Christ in “power and glory” (Matt. 24:30).

Now back to the real Rapture of “the church which is His body” that will occur several years prior to Christ’s 2^nd coming events of Matthew 24 and Luke 21.

The Pauline verses below give us the most explicit detail of the happenings at the Rapture.

“I (Paul) would not have you to be ignorant CONCERNING THEM WHICH ARE ASLEEP (believers who have died) that ye SORROW NOT, even as others which have no “HOPE.”

¹⁴For if we BELIEVE that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep (are dead) IN Jesus will GOD BRING (to be) WITH HIM. 

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of (from) the Lord, that WE WHICH ARE ALIVE and remain (on earth) unto the COMING OF THE LORD shall not prevent (not go up before) them which are asleep (dead).

¹⁶For THE LORD “HIMSELF” SHALL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN with a SHOUT, with THE VOICE of the ARCHANGEL (Michael), and with the TRUMP OF GOD: and THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST:

¹⁷Then WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR: and so (Gk. houtos, in this manner) SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD.

¹⁸Wherefore COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS. (1 Thess 4:13-18)

“Looking for THAT BLESSED HOPE (confident expectation), and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13)

“I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep (in death), but we shall all be changed, ⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet (not the trumpets of Revelation) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible (body) must put on INCORRUPTION, and this mortal (body) must put on IMMORTALITY. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on INCORRUPTION, and this mortal shall have put on IMMORTALITY, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1Cor 15:51-55)

The Luciferian conflict of the ages that we introduced earlier in this series draws markedly closer to its God ordained ultimate conclusion with what we call the Rapture of “the church, which is His body” (Eph 1:22b-23a). The Rapture is the catching away of “the church, which is His body” from planet earth... to dwell eternally with Christ in heaven.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there (heaven), the Lord Jesus Christ, 21  who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his (Jesus’ resurrected) glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (body) were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, Eternal In the Heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)

The “shout” of 1Thes 4:16 occurs at the time of the Rapture, marking The END of the pure grace age of the church under “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2). Biblically, the “shout” most often is a mark of conclusive victory; e.g., “…The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. (Jer 25:30, cf. Psa 47:1, 5; Joshua 6:5, 10, 16, 20). The church’s Rapture to heaven marks the victorious culmination of this age of grace for all grace believers; while simultaneously marking… the start of the awful 7-year Tribulation judgments on rebellious Israel and mankind who are left on earth.

Then we should note in v16 “the voice of the Archangel,” which is Michael, who is called God’s “Prince (Heb. sar steward)” of Israel (cf. Dan 10:21). Israel’s promised Kingdom program has been ‘on hold’ during this age of the Gentiles.

“… blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the GENTILES be come in.” (Rom 11:25b).

This above means the moment the last person is added to the Gentile “body of Christ” the Rapture will occur, ending “the dispensation of the grace of God.” The reason Michal is mentioned as the Archangel is because the Rapture simultaneously announces and RESTART of God’s prophetic program for Israel. Prophetically, next on the agenda is God’s “wrath” in the Tribulation, immediately following the Rapture. Obviously then, there will be one last person “saved by grace through faith,” added to the “Gentile “body of Christ”… then the Rapture.

The Rapture will mark the “fullness of the Gentiles,” the completion of the “body of Christ,” ending this age of salvation by God’s pure grace, received by faith in Christ alone.

Then, having concluded the Gentile church age of grace by the Rapture of the Church, God’s 2,000 years of silence toward Israel will be ended. During this period of silence Israel’s King and Messiah has been in royal exile, “seated…until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psa 110:1).” Israel program has been at a ‘pause’ during the interim period. Until the Rapture, Israel is “blinded,” temporarily set-aside, during this Gentile age of “the dispensation of the grace of God,” but the time is soon coming when Christ will then ‘STAND’ (cf. Act 7:56) to return in “wrath” to save Israel and set up His Millennial Kingdom.

At the moment the ‘conflict of the ages’ continues, but the Lord’s recovery of man, and “heaven” and  “earth” will ultimately be fulfilled. In the “dispensation of the fullness of times” (below); at the end of the all ages, Christ will eternally indwell in and rule ALL the heaven and the earth… through the body of Christ in Heaven and Israel on earth.

“That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he (God) might gather together in one all things in Christ, BOTH which are IN HEAVEN, and which are ON EARTH; even in him” (Eph 1:10)

Summarizing, the Lord will execute His Rule in Heaven and On Earth.

• After the Tribulation Christ will rule through the agency of a believing remnant of Israel ON EARTH.

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Romans 2:29)

• Christ by then will have already Raptured, beforehand, every regenerated member of “the body of Christ,” taking them with Him… to dwell eternally in HEAVEN.

“If we suffer (endure by means of trusting Him), we shall also reign (Gk. simbasileuo, co-reign) with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us (deny us the opportunity to reign with Him):” (2 Timothy 2:12). In any case as believers, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

Being Raptured, we as believers will not face the coming wrath of God upon the rebellious world.

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6) “… wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even (that is) Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

The execution of God’s eternal plan of grace and redemption for “the church” … by the cross, will reveal God’s “intent,” wisdom and power unto the Satanic “Principalities and Powers (angelic rulers) In Heavenly Places.” He will make known to His foes what was His hidden eternal plan… that is… to pour out His grace and mercy from the cross of Christ to ALL who will simply trust in Christ as Savior, both in this age of “grace” and in the “ages to come.” The church will be seen as ‘His masterpiece.’

 “[The purpose is] that Through The Church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere” (Eph 3:10 AMP).

All who are called “in Christ” will be saved; 1) Some of the “the body of Christ” are destined to co-reign with Christ “in heaven,” (2Tim 2:12), and… 2) The believing remnant of the Nation Israel will ultimately co-reign with Christ on the renewed New Earth (Rev 5:10, 20:6).

Today, we as the members of “the body of Christ,” are NOT at home on earth. Paul writes. “…our citizenship is IN HEAVEN” (Philip 3:20a, NIV). While here on earth, Paul says, we as believers are “ambassadors,” currently away from our home “in heaven.” One is an ambassador when he is in a foreign place, and that we are since our home is “ETERNAL IN THE HEAVENS” (2Cor 5:1-2), NOT on the earth!

“God was in CHRIST, RECONCILING the WORLD UNTO HIMSELF (resolving the longstanding conflict  between God and man),

NOT imputing (not counting) their trespasses (sins) unto them; and (He) hath committed unto us THE WORD OF RECONCILIATION. “NOW then WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST” (2Cor 5:19-20).

Comparing ‘The Rapture’ with the ‘2^nd Coming’ of Christ to Eart