The Rapture and the First Resurrection

"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet."

-- 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 --

Is the rapture and the first resurrection the same event? The answer to this question depends on whether or not you believe the church replaced Israel, a common belief within Amillennialism which teaches that the covenants and promises that God made to Israel are fulfilled in the church. This means that God must have rejected His people Israel. However, “God has not rejected His people… all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:1, 26).

The First Resurrection

This resurrection will take place at the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. Martyred tribulation saints will come to life and reign “with Christ for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4–6). Jesus called this “the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14). He pronounced, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28–29). The “resurrection of judgment” is the second death which will occur after the thousand years are complete (Rev. 20:5). The “second death” is the ”lake of fire” – “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14–15).

The prophet Daniel gave a similar prophecy – “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people (Israel), will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:1–2). The time of distress is the seven year tribulation period (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:9–28) that will take place prior to the second coming of Christ to earth. Those who awake to eternal life are participants in the first resurrection. The rest will endure the second death.

The LORD will open the graves of the whole house of Israel. He will cause them to come out of their graves, restore flesh to their dry bones, and give them breath. He will bring them into the land that was promised to Abraham and his descendants. The LORD’s servant David (the son of David – Christ Jesus) will be king over them. He will be their God and they will be His people (Gen. 15:18–21; Isa. 26:19; Ezek. 37:1–14, 24–28; Matt. 1:1).

We can reasonably conclude that the first resurrection will consist of Old Testament saints (the whole house of Israel), martyred tribulation saints, and those who will come to faith in Christ during the tribulation period. This resurrection will take place when Christ returns and establishes His messianic reign on the earth.

The Rapture

The word rapture is not found in the Bible. This word originates from the phrase caught up (1 Thess. 4:17). The Greek rendering of this phrase is harpazō which means to suddenly snatch or take away. It’s Latin translation is rapturo from which the English word rapture is derived. It describes how the Spirit “snatched Philip away” and brought him to Azotus (Acts 8:39). Paul used it to describe his experience of being caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). Thus, there can be no doubt that the rapture, unlike the first resurrection, is a sudden snatching away of people from the earth to heaven.

“All Israel will be saved… the deliverer will come from Zion who will remove ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom. 11:26). Israel will go through a time of intense judgment and chastisement that will ultimately lead to their salvation (Rom. 11:26–27). The archangel Michael described this period as “a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time” (Dan. 12:1). Jeremiah called it “the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will saved from it” (Jer. 30:7). Joel refers to this time as the day of the LORD – “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” There will “never be anything like it nor will there be again” (Joel 2:1–2). Additionally, the day of the LORD is described as a time of destruction that will come “from the Almighty.” Everyone “will be terrified.” God’s “fury and burning anger” will “make the land a desolation” – sinners will be exterminated from it (Isa. 13:6–9).

The rapture will be a rescue mission. God will rescue “us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10) that will take place during the tribulation period because He “has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9).

Jesus told His disciples, ““In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2–3). His Father’s house is in heaven. Jesus will come to take us to the dwelling places in heaven that He prepared for those who believe in the name of the Son of God and have eternal life (John 6:47; 1 John 5:11–13).

Paul states, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51–52). This resurrection will take place in the “twinkling of an eye” – the time it takes for light to enter the eye, reach the back of the eye, and be reflected back out, which is around one-thousandth of a second. There will not be any advanced warnings or time for preparation. There aren’t any prophetic events that point to the coming rapture. You are either in Christ – those who have been baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12–13) – or you are not in Christ.

At the trumpet call of God (the last trumpet, 1 Cor. 15:52), those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, the dead in Christ, will rise first (1 Thess. 4:14–16). “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).

The last trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52 is not to be confused with the seventh trumpet that will announce, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). This is also the great trumpet that will herald the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of the sky “with power and great glory” at the end of the tribulation period (Matthew 24:29–31).

The Gathering Of His Elect

When the Son of Man returns “He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” (Matt. 24:31). Mark 13:27 states, “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.” These two passages are used by some to characterize the rapture as the gathering of the elect at the end of the tribulation period. First, there is only one angel – the archangel – who is involved in the rapture (1 Thess. 4:16). Second, they assume that the elect are those in Christ, that the church will be present on the earth during the tribulation period. The word elect in the Greek is eklektos which means chosen ones. In Hebrew, eklektos is derived from bāḥîr which means chosen one. This phrase is found in several Old Testament passages including 1 Chronicles 16:13 – “O seed of Israel His servant, Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!” and Psalm 105:6 – “O seed of Abraham, His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!” Since Israel will be present on the earth during the tribulation period (Matt. 24:9–28), it is reasonable to conclude that the elect in Matthew 24:22, 24, 31 are His chosen ones, Israel.

There is a parallel between Matthew 24:31 and Ezekiel 37:21 which states, “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land" – "gather together His elect from the four winds" (Matt. 24:31). Once Israel is in their own land, “My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. “They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever" (Ezek. 37:24-25). Thus, when the Son of Man returns, He will send His angels to gather His chosen people, Israel, from all over the earth and bring them to the land that He promised to Abraham. Christ Jesus will be their king forever.

Conclusion

The rapture and the first resurrection are distinct events that occur at least seven years apart - one before the seven year tribulation period and one after the seven year tribulation period. Those who hold to a mid-tribulation, pre-wrath, or post-tribulation rapture will undoubtedly disagree.

Eschatology, the study of last things, is not easy to grasp. However, prophecy is contained throughout the Old and New Testaments and shouldn’t be ignored because it is difficult to understand. Let me encourage you to study His word, not just do a cursory reading of it from time to time. It will be well worth it as God opens your heart and mind to learn more and more about Him!

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations cited in this post are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.