The coming of Christ under various symbols
   John is talking to us directly in our verse here. We will see Him in the clouds as pictured above. His coming is also symbolized by His riding the white horse and in other ways re1911a, re1413f.

To hear the hymn music, Christ Returneth, click. Courtesy of a Grace Methodist Church. Or Christ is comingclick.

0107b
The rapture and the visible coming

   ^   Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.  (Rev. 1:7)
   ^   And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. [and so on]. (Rev. 7:4, 5).

Jesus warned against the rapture idea
    After I wrote what follows I discovered a meaning to one of Jesus' statements that had previously been unclear. Do you remember the story of the wicked servant who said his Lord was delaying his coming? Then looking at the context, I discovered much more on the topic. I invite you to read beginning at mt2437 and continuing to the end of the chapter. You can read my notes, too. The comments here provide an understanding of the relevant texts and the issues, so please read them both.

   The scene of the rapture, as it is generally understood, does not involve clouds and everyone seeing Christ. Neither are loud sounds connected with it as we read about in 1 Thess. 4 1th0416f. The claim is that the rapture is first and the coming with grand sight and sound occurs later. The Bible doesn't teach this. The 144,000 are said to be different. We study about them in chapters 7 and 14, 1401b. Let's look at a popular text.
   "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." (Luke 17:34-36) See on lu1726-end.
   This scene doesn't explain the trumpet sound and the visible appearance of Christ. Of course, not every passage about an event gives the same details. If this does describe a quiet rapture, the end of the story is different from the popular explanation. Those left are not left to come to Christ during a tribulation. They die. Notice the next verse.
   And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." (Luke 17:37, for the context, lu1734)
   If this is not the rapture scene, what is it? I believe it describes the close of probation. Matthew's description begins with the story of the flood. Study the whole passage carefully mt2436ff.
   "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matt. 24:38, 39).
   Noah and his family entered the ark, but the rain did not come for another seven days ge0704. The lost ones did not know that they were lost (they had denied the evidence) until the flood came. Thus, according to this pattern, the first phase of Christ's coming is silent 1th0502. During the waiting time, no one goes anywhere, just like at the time of the flood. The two are seen in the following two verses:
   " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." (Rev. 22:11, 12). re2211

Aside from these verses, do the Scriptures shed any light that would help us understand?
In the rapture theory, those who are righteous before the tribulation, are taken out of the world before others are converted. Does the Bible teach this? No. Remember the words of Jesus: "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." (John 17:15; cf. 2pe0104).
   Jesus then expresses how they (or we) are to be kept from the evil. They are sanctified by the Word which is truth (v. 17). They are to be united in order to witness to the world (v. 23). When their witness is finished and Jesus returns mt2414, He will take them to heaven and He will destroy the wicked mt1328&context. If there was to be a preadvent rapture, why would He have explained His coming as He did in the following passage?
   "Then 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 shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thess. 4:17).
Christ will not come all the way down to the earth. We will be taken up to meet Him in the air.
The final gathering will come in connection with a great time of trouble and a resurrection. da1201c.
According to the popular idea, the temple with sacrifices will be be established in Jerusalem. This is based on the idea that the Old Testament promises to the Jewish nation will be fulfilled forgetting that their fulfillment was dependent on faithfulness and that, as a nation, they were unfaithful mt2140. Also, the temple will be closed during and after the final tribulation – the time of trouble. See explanation.
Sequence.  Let's look at another beautiful passage about the resurrection: "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (1 Cor. 15:20-23)
   Did you notice the sequence of being made alive? The next resurrection after Christ's will be that of those who are his. And when will that be? At death? No, when He returns.
   If we love the ways of the world more than we love Him, we will not be forcibly separated from that preference! Many seem to want it both ways. Giving up evil habits is not easy, but God gives us the strength. Let's all be ready. In the kingdom those of us who have been studying and praying about these things can have a gathering to talk it all over and to praise Him who died so we could live.

When we go home
   "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2, 3)
   We can see that He would return and receive the disciples (including us, if faithful) to Himself. He would take them to be with Him in His Father's house. If some were to go before He came again (by floating away as departed spirits or as living raptured ones) they would have already been with Him. They wouldn't then be received to Him at His coming. Paul agrees 1th0416. From that time on, we shall "ever be with the Lord." If the righteous had been with Him earlier as spirits or raptured ones, the time of no more separation (ever with the Lord) could not begin at the resurrection.
   Verse 14 confirms the picture. Let's read it carefully: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." (1 Thess. 4:14).
   Because the Father brought Jesus to heaven after Jesus died and arose, so will the Father bring with Jesus those who sleep in Him (those who have died in His righteousness). With very few exceptions (mt2750ff; ep0408), those sleeping in Him (the righteous dead, jn1111-14) will awaken (ep0514; is2619) and go to heaven with Him when He comes with a shout and the sound of the trumpet.
   "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ [who is] the firstfruits [of the harvest]; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (1 Cor. 15:22, 23). So when will the righteous dead be made alive? At Christ's coming. In other words, they do not stay alive in spirit form 1co1554; ec0905f.
   Remember that the Thessalonians were sad because some who had waited for Jesus to return had died. The apostle assures the mourning ones that Jesus would come in person, "with a shout . . . and the dead in Christ" would rise first. Then the living righteous would be "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord. . . ."
   God will reward the sleeping ones just the same as if they had lived to see Jesus come. The message of comfort is, no one goes till we all go. The living will not be "caught up" until the resurrection at Jesus' audible coming.

Two women grinding
    Let's look back at our verse in Luke. "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." (Luke 7:34-36)
Two men in one bed: Death, in the Bible, is spoken of as a sleep (John 11:1-14; 1 Kings 2:10). Some who have died and are sleeping in the earth, will be resurrected at Christ's coming. Some will not.
   Two women grinding: Spiritual bread (Matt. 4:4) is prepared by two kinds of teachers. Only one kind will be saved.
   Two men in the field: Among those who are alive and active when Jesus returns, some will be taken and some left.

   So what about the rapture idea? The resurrection promises just don't leave a place for it 01g. For more on the topic, visit: http://www.truthleftbehind.com/.

Where did the rapture idea come from?
    It was not part of the teaching of the reformers. In fact it has a very strange source. See "New Doctrine" in the comments on re1215. The picture is of Patmos long after the time of John.
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