The idea of rapture is very popular in the US and began there in the middle 19th century. The word rapture does not appear in the old or new testaments though Mathew makes reference to one being taken, one left behind. This appears to be an indication of rapture. It also indicates a 50% removal rate, around 3 billion at current population levels.

So, what could rapture be?

Well, just before the tribulation, God’s faithful disappear into heaven, while the rest of Mankind suffer 7 years of mounting horrors.

However, physical matter cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, the physical vehicle must be transformed into spiritual matter, in the same way as Yeshua’s body was transformed to allow the resurrection.

For God, such a feat is quite possible.

Another possibility is that only the spirit is withdrawn. In this situation, the world would wake up to half its population dead. Now, we all possess a spirit body. My faith is based on it. So this idea appeals to me.

Whichever theory is correct the sensation would be the same. One second you are watching tv, the next within the Kingdom of Heaven.
Of course, no one really knows. The rapture could simply be a tool, which allows Christians to think they will escape the End Of Days.
Now for the tribulation. It is thought in many Christian and Hebrew circles, that the Apocalypse is heralded by a period of horrendous events. For Christians this is the 7-year tribulation. Though I should point out that the exact period is arbitrary.

No one can deny that since 9/11, our world has been hit by one disaster after another. For me the tribulation began then. There was no mass vanishing either. Of course, it has lasted longer than 7 years. I believe there is a reason for this. Before the New Heaven/New Earth, the old must be shaken to its foundations. Man himself must be changed within the white-hot heat of God’s furnace. Hence, the storms, tsunami’s and quakes.

While all this plays out, the brakes are removed on Man’s self-destructive impulses. Mounting conflicts with the threat of nuclear release are a sign of this. Another sign is the missiles/rockets reigning down on Israel every other day. These are launched by ungodly men, hell bent on Israel’s destruction.

As for the church well, less said the better. It wallows in its wealth while children die by the thousands. It turns its back on the Gospels by creating female priests/bishops. The final schism is underway there.

When you take all this together, the conclusion I come to is that the tribulation is underway. A time of trouble never known before, and never known again, as the Bible puts it.

The final act of the tribulation is produced by Man himself. It is not produced by God. With our own destructive impulses unleashed, a final conflict erupts in the Middle East. It rapidly escalates as Syria gets involved. As chemical missiles reign down, Israel goes nuclear. Understandable really. Soon after this, Russian missiles reign down, destroying Jerusalem at this point and moving from south to north. Global destruction soon follows.

Of course, somewhere along this line God intervenes. When the sun, moon, stars vanish it means our earth is no longer physical matter. The sun, moon and stars are not visible from heaven. The earth and those upon it will be spiritual at this point. New earth/new heaven will have arrived. This would also explain why the Son of Man is seen by everyone at the same time. We are no longer alive so to speak.

Of course, we may not notice the change. Most of us left, will be desperately seeking cover from the nuclear bursts. Unaware the horror had stopped.

Then the judgement takes place. Those to the right end up in heaven, those to left end up in darkness. Though for a limited time. I should add here, that when earth is transformed time ends. Forever.
Earth then will look much like the Garden of Eden. All trace of our modern world eradicated forever. For me, this is the true message. A better world made from the cesspit, which we have created.

This series will continue...