The Saddest and Happiest Day

‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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 4:16-17).

‘The English word “rapture” is taken from the word used in the Latin translation of the Bible (the Vulgate) which is used to translate the Greek word in 1 Thess 4:17 for caught up together.  Rapture is used to describe the catching up of believers into the air to meet the returning Christ described by Paul in 1 Thess 4:16-18. This single day in the future will divide the whole human race into two camps, saved and unsaved. The saddest and happiest day will be the day Jesus Christ returns in the clouds to gather His Church to himself before the beginning of the seven year tribulation on earth’ (David Jeremiah). Our actions today will determine whether that day will be the saddest or happiest day of our lives. 

For the faithful believers dead or alive, the rapture will be the happiest day of their lives as they are caught up together to meet Jesus - their savior in the clouds. The Bible clearly teaches that after the rapture, the church will go through the judgment at the Bema seat in heaven, where Christians will be rewarded according to their works. Our works are going to be passed through fire. ‘If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire’ (1 Cor 3:15). Here Christians are going to be judged and rewarded for what they did after their salvation. 

For the unsaved, the day of the rapture will be the saddest day of their lives as their loved ones – family and friends who were Christians disappear in a twinkle of an eye. It is said that there will be a lot of accidents as pilots, train drivers, bus drivers etc who are Christians suddenly disappear and are caught up into the clouds to meet Jesus their risen savior. On that day, many who had heard the gospel on numerous occasions and had rejected it will cry uncontrollably. Others who knew the truth but had allowed the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life to blind them from the importance of their eternal life will also cry uncontrollably, but will still not be caught up. This will include those who were usually in church and had heard all about the rapture and the period of unbearable pain that will befall those that are left behind to face the period of tribulation; where the antichrist will rule the earth for seven years, as the Holy Spirit and the church are absent from the earth.

I Thess 4:16-18 offers one of the best descriptions about the rapture. The critical question is, are you going to be among the happiest people on earth who will be caught up into the clouds, or are you going to be among the saddest people who will be left behind on that day, to face the seven years of Tribulation?  The choice is yours today. ‘For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). Repent - have a change of mind and believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved. This is your time, tomorrow might be too late.