“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, 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.” I Corinthians 15:51-52
In I Corinthians 15 Paul reveals a mystery from God. A mystery in Scripture is a truth known by God but which He has not revealed to
mankind. In this case God tells us about the rapture of the church. In the Old Testament the church age was a mystery. When the church age started and believers began to look for
the return of Jesus, some of them began to die and those who
were alive began to worry what would happen to them. Did
they miss out on ruling with Christ in His kingdom? As a result
God gave Paul the privilege of showing believers a mystery – the
rapture of His church.
In describing the rapture Paul makes clear several key points.
First the rapture is the Lord coming from heaven to take His bride
back to heaven with Him. He comes out of heaven but He does not
come to earth. (That happens at the second coming at the end of the
Tribulation period.)
Second, the rapture includes all New Testament believers – the living and those who have died.
Third, The Lord will be accompanied by the Archangel, Michael.
Fourth, there are three sounds at the rapture. There is the shout of the Lord. The word means call or command. Many think it will be “Come up here” (See Revelation 4:1) at which point all believers will
flock to Him. Next is the voice of the Archangel. We are not told what he says. Finally there is the sound of the trumpet. Strong’s Concordance says the word for trumpet means “a war-trumpet that
boldly announces God’s victory (the vanquishing of His enemies). In the OT, trumpets were used to called God’s people to war, and to announce victory wrought by Him. It is a military clarion that proclaims the Lord’s victory on behalf of His people.”
Fifth, the rapture will have two phases but they will happen so quickly they will be indistinguishable. Those who died will be raised first followed by those believers who are alive at that time.
Sixth the rapture will occur so rapidly so that it will be invisible on earth. Paul records it will be done in the “twinkling of an eye. The Greek word means “any rapid movement, a twinkling (of lights or the eye)”. Today the smallest standard scientific measure of time is the “Planck time”. It takes about five hundred and fifty thousand trillion trillion trillion Planck times to blink once. Yet the rapture is faster than a blink – the twinkling of the eye is the time it takes light to refract off the eye. This happens so quickly unbelievers will be left with their own mystery.
Seventh, while we are being taken up to meet the Lord in the air Paul tells us we are changed. The word means to transform or altar. One thing ceases and another begins. This is when the transformation process that we are working on while on earth – becoming like Jesus, called sanctification – is fulfilled. We receive a new body and the things we love in this world will be seen for what they are. With this new body we will see the way we have spent our time the same way the Lord does.
Eight, the rapture closes our time of physical separation from the Lord. We are told “so shall you ever be with the Lord”. Our
time in this sin cursed body is over. We will live with the Lord and without the ravages of sin forevermore.
Ninth, there are no signs that must occur before the rapture can happen. This is why believers in every age have looked for it to
happen in their lifetimes. The motto “Perhaps Today” is always true.
Tenth, the rapture happens right before the Bema Seat where believers will present the Lord with the fruits of their time and talents in this life and on this earth. This precedes the second coming of the Lord, the millennium rule of Christ on earth and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.