THE RAPTURE

There Is No “Secret Rapture”: A Biblical Look at the Lord’s Coming

Beloved, let us reason together in the Word of God about this teaching so often repeated in modern times—the idea of a secret rapture, where believers quietly vanish before the world enters tribulation. The Bible does not teach such a thing. The Word of God knows nothing of a hidden return or a private gathering of saints before the end. The Lord’s coming is glorious, public, and unmistakable.

Paul declares, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God; the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16–17). Nothing secret hides in that passage. The shout, the voice, the trumpet—these are heavenly announcements, not whispers in the dark.

Jesus said, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30). When He spoke these words, He was foretelling the judgment upon Jerusalem—the great tribulation of that generation (Matt. 24:34). Those signs and sorrows were fulfilled when Rome destroyed the city in A.D. 70, just as the Lord had said. That was His coming in judgment, the sign that the Son of Man had taken His throne. But that fulfillment does not erase the greater promise still to come: His visible, final appearing when every eye shall see Him (Rev. 1:7).

The Scriptures reveal a pattern: Christ’s authority was established then, His kingdom now advances through His church, and His final return will consummate what He began. There is no hidden departure of the saints before that day. Rather, the faithful are called to endure, to stand firm, and to finish the race with perseverance. The early church looked not for escape but for endurance. Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).

In that same spirit, he told the Corinthians, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52). Notice “the last trumpet.” There are no two separate comings divided by years of earthly chaos. There is one climactic return, one resurrection, one eternal kingdom handed to the Father (1 Cor. 15:24).

When Christ returns, it will not be secret, nor partial, nor invisible. He will come as Judge and King. The apostle says, “When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel” (2 Thess. 1:7–8). That revelation joins the reward of the righteous and the judgment of the wicked in one great event.

Even the familiar passage of “one taken and the other left” (Matt. 24:40–41) points not to a rapture but to judgment. As in the days of Noah, those taken were swept away in destruction, while those left were the ones who endured. Scripture consistently connects the appearing of Christ with both the resurrection and the final reckoning.

Dear friend, much of what Jesus foretold in Matthew 24 has already been accomplished—wars, persecutions, the fall of Jerusalem, and the ending of the old covenant order. Those prophecies confirmed His lordship and the faithfulness of His word. But the blessed hope of His people remains: the bodily resurrection and the final appearing of Christ in glory. That will not happen in secret. It will be the triumph of all creation’s story.

So we wait, not in fear of the future, but in confidence that Christ reigns now and will return when all things are complete. The church is not called to hide from tribulation, but to walk in victory through it. For the same Jesus who ascended in glory will return in like manner as He was seen going into heaven (Acts 1:11).

Therefore, beloved, be steadfast. Keep walking and running the race set before you (Heb. 12:1). Many start the race with excitement, but the reward belongs to those who finish with endurance. It’s not how you begin, it’s how you finish. Let faith hold steady, hope stay bright, and love remain strong.

When that trumpet sounds, it will not be a secret sound known only to a few, but the song of triumph heard across heaven and earth. The Lord Himself will descend, and the graves will yield their redeemed. Every nation will see, every tongue will confess, and every heart made righteous will rejoice.

No, dear friend, there will be no secret rapture (1 Thess. 4:16–17). There will be a glorious appearing (Titus 2:13). There will be a resurrection of the just and unjust (John 5:28–29; Acts 24:15). A renewal of all creation (Rom. 8:19–21). And a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1).

That is our hope (Col. 1:27; 1 Pet. 1:3–4).

That is our finish line (2 Tim. 4:7–8).

And until that day dawns, let us keep running, keep believing, and keep proclaiming the victory of Christ our King.

Bryan Dewayne Dunaway