by Dave Root, VividChristianity.com, last modified on 07/16/2024.

As you read this section, keep in mind that the New Testament is not merely a history book, it's meant to change us to become more and more like Jesus. When we read any passages in the New Testament, our goal should be to discern what God wants us to believe and do so that we can be obedient to Him.


At some point in the future, Jesus will return from heaven to the clouds above the earth, and then He will "snatch up" all Christians (alive or dead) to meet Him in the clouds and take us back with Him into heaven. All of the dead Christians will be resurrected into their physical bodies, and all of our physical bodies will instantly be made immortal. Many pastors and Bible teachers refer to that event as the pre-tribulational Rapture (see my series called The Rapture of the Church). In the Latin Vulgate Bible, the Latin word for "caught up" or "snatch up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 is where we get the English term "Rapture" for this event.

Here's what the New Testament tells us about the Rapture:

[Jesus is speaking:] For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. (Matthew 16:27)

[Jesus is speaking:] And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day...No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day...Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:39-54)

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." (John 11:23-24)

[Jesus is speaking:] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. (John 12:48)

[Jesus is speaking:] My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. (1 Corinthians 1:7)

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)

The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body...And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep [die], but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:41-53)

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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 glorious body. (Philippians 3:20-21)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up [in the Latin Vulgate Bible, the Latin word for "caught up" is where we get the English term "Rapture" for this event] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us - whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter - asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:12-13)

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5:4)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

[Jesus is speaking:] Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. (Revelation 22:12)

As my series called The Rapture of the Church explains, the above passages are not referring to the Second Coming (when Jesus will return to the earth and set up a kingdom on earth that will last for 1,000 years). Instead, the above passages describe what will happen at the Rapture. Jesus will come down from heaven (but not all the way to the earth), then He will "snatch up" all Christians to meet Him in the clouds. The dead Christians will be resurrected into their physical bodies, then all of our physical bodies will be transformed to become immortal, just like Jesus' body. Then He will take us all up into heaven where He will judge our lives and give us the rewards that are due us for our obedience on earth (or we will lose out on rewards if we have not been obedient). This is the judgment described in my article called Cheat Sheet #12. Almost immediately after the Rapture, the Day of the Lord will begin, which is the seven-year Tribulation period, followed by the Second Coming, and on into eternity (as my above series on the Rapture explains). At the Second Coming, everyone in heaven will return to earth with Jesus (for the fascinating scriptural details, see my article called The Second Coming).

Passages such as 1 Peter 1:3-13 (below) tell us that God "has given" (past tense) new birth to Christians. However, in that passage Peter also told his readers that they "are receiving" (present tense) the salvation of their souls. In that passage and in the other passages below, we're also told that our salvation (which includes righteousness, eternal life, and our adoption as God's children) is "an inheritance" that is "kept in heaven" for us and will be "brought to" us (future tense) when Jesus is revealed at His coming:

God "will repay each person according to what they have done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Romans 2:6-7)

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25)

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls...Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. (1 Peter 1:3-13)

Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 1:21)

When the above passages refer to Jesus' revealing or appearing or coming, they're not referring to what we call the Second Coming. The Bible never refers to His birth on earth as "the First Coming" or "the First Advent," and it never refers to His return to the earth as "the Second Coming" or "the Second Advent." Those are just convenient terms that pastors and Bible teachers use. The above passages are referring to the Rapture because they describe us receiving our rewards when He's revealed at His coming, which is explained in detail in my series called The Rapture of the Church. As the above passages show, we will receive our salvation and eternal life at the Rapture, which might happen at any moment (possibly even before you finish reading this article). To get an idea of how close we might be to the Rapture, see the intended impact of my book.

Since Christians will receive our salvation in the future, are we guaranteed to receive salvation or is there a chance that we might lose our salvation before Jesus returns? My article called Our Lives Are Not Predestined shows that believers (who have proper faith in Jesus) have assurance of their salvation, but if they choose to reject their faith in Jesus then they are no longer believers and no longer have assurance of their salvation. This is why we're told to stand firm in our faith until the end (e.g., Matthew 10:22, 24:12-13, Mark 13:13, 1 Corinthians 10:11-12, Colossians 4:12, Hebrews 3:6, 14, 10:39, Revelation 2:10). My article called How to Receive Salvation explains how to receive salvation in order to be certain that you'll be allowed into heaven, and how to have the assurance of your salvation.