Will there be a rapture?

Are we going to be 'raptured', that is: snatched away to leave this earth?

There is basically only one key verse in the bible that would suggest believers will be flying through the sky to be taken away from earth when Jesus comes back. That's in 1 Thessalonians 4.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, Or encouragecomfort one another with these words.

The first time Jesus came as Messiah He was riding on a donkey to ride into Jerusalem and proclaim He was the promised King, son of David. The second time He will come with the clouds according to Acts 1:11 and Daniel 7:13.

1 Thess 4:17 says we will be together with Jesus forever. How is this possible, if WE leave earth and Jesus comes here to stay? Right now WE are on earth and Jesus is in heaven. But then we switch places? We go to heaven and Jesus goes to the earth? Then we are still not together forever.

When Jesus rode on the donkey to enter Jerusalem, all the people came out to greet Him. Paul says here that when Jesus comes back for the second time with the clouds, we will go out to greet him there too. It means we do not leave earth, but we just go out to bring Jesus in. Thus when Jesus comes back with the clouds, we meet and greet Him and we all go back to earth to stay.

Second, have a look at Efesians 2.

Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Exactly the same word 'air' is used as in 1 Thessalonians 4. Who is this 'prince of the AIR? Since we only know of kings of lands. It is satan, who is the prince of the spiritual world on earth (not in heaven). As you see, the word air not only means the air we breath, but can also have a spiritual meaning.

Now for billions of people to meet Jesus physically in the sky... that is going to be a logistic nightmare. Rather Paul seems to suggest that we will meet and greet Jesus to bring Him in, and that we are going to be spiritually connected and united with Him. It means Jesus will be King not just in heaven, but also in the air and on our land from the moment He comes back.

Conclusion: we are not going to be snatched away from earth, but from death. When Jesus comes back He will stay and we will be with Him forever on a new earth.

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