The End-Times Countdown: Paul’s Prophecy of the Rapture and the Antichrist

Excerpted from The Rapture, the Antichrist and the Tribulation.

The times in which we live are bizarre to say the least.

Things are rapidly taking place around us that are unprecedented. The last of the last days have come, and lawlessness is on the rise, increasing with each passing day. And a day is

soon coming when the Lawless One — the Antichrist — will be revealed to the world. Later in this book, I will discuss the timing of the Antichrist’s appearance, but before his long-forecast debut occurs, another event will take place that is called the rapture of the Church.

The rapture of the Church is the undeniable doctrine of Scripture that affirms there is a soon-coming event, at which time Christ will descend into the lower atmosphere above the earth, and “the dead in Christ” will be supernaturally resurrected. Also at that time, or immediately afterward — so quickly that it will be nearly imperceptible — Christ will supernaturally “catch away,” or rapture, the authentic Church, those in Christ “which are alive and remain.” He will snatch that remnant from harm’s way at the very end of this present age. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.)

People want to know at what point in the end-times timeline the rapture of the Church will occur, and we will eventually get to the answer to that question. But the apostle Paul’s writing in First Thessalonians about the rapture of the Church itself is paramount, and that is where I will begin this chapter. So before we dive into the subject of when — or the moment in time in which this glorious event will occur — we need to see that the rapture of the Church is one of the clearest-stated doctrines in the New Testament. Although people have different views about when it will occur (and I’m talking about pre-, mid-, or post-Tribulation, etc.), the reality of a future rapture of the Church is undeniable in Scripture.

Paul Wrote Three Times About the Rapture of the Church

Paul wrote about this event in three of his epistles — including his first and second letters to believers in Thessalonica and one of his letters to believers in Corinth. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians was written in approximately 48-51 AD. In it, he addressed the rapture of the Church in depth. Then when he wrote his second epistle to the Thessalonians shortly afterward — many scholars say in approximately 52 AD — Paul again vividly addressed this event we call the Rapture.

Paul also addressed the rapture of the Church approximately five years later when he wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians. In First Corinthians 15:51 and 52, Paul stated that although the event known as the rapture of the Church was once unknown, it has now been revealed to the Church by the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “Behold, I shew you a mystery…” (v. 51). (We look at that word “mystery” in greater detail in my book.)

In all three of these important texts, Paul wrote authoritatively about what God revealed to him about the resurrection of the bodies of the righteous and the rapture of the Church at the end of the age. But in this chapter, I will primarily focus on what Paul wrote in First Thessalonians about this monumental event. Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians was likely his first epistle to write, and this is important, for it tells us that even at that early time in Church history, he was already expounding on the mystery of the Rapture.

Some may argue, “The word ‘rapture’ doesn’t even appear in the Bible, so it’s not really a New Testament doctrine.” But in just a few pages, you will see that the word “rapture” does appear very clearly in the pages of the New Testament.

‘We Which Are Alive and Remain Unto the Coming of the Lord’

In First Thessalonians 4:15, Paul wrote, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”

The words “alive and remain” are so important that Paul repeats them verbatim in verse 15 and again in verse 17. And in both verses, these words are the exact same, identical Greek phrase. Paul was making a statement so profound that he found it necessary to repeat it twice in this passage verbatim.

Since Paul repeated this particular sequence of words exactly the same way twice, it is necessary that we see precisely what the words “alive and remain” mean and why Paul repeated this exact wording twice within this succession of verses.

Those Who are Alive

Let’s begin with the word “alive” that appears in verse 15 and again in verse 17. In both verses, the word “alive” is translated from the words hoi zoontoi, a plural form of the Greek word zao, which not only means to be alive, but here, it conveys the meaning of those who are fully alive, robust, thriving, vibrant, and vigorous. It doesn’t refer only to those who are merely physically living — rather, it pictures those who are spiritually living, spiritually robust, spiritually thriving, spiritually vibrant, and spiritually vigorous. This description contrasts with those who are physically alive, but who are not spiritually alive and vibrant.

The use of this particular Greek word tells us that Christ is coming for those who are spiritually engaged. He is not coming for those who merely have a form of godliness, but for those who are, as one expositor states, the living ones or the vibrant ones.

Forgive the redundance, but this particular Greek wording emphatically does not portray people who are simply physically alive, but of those who are so engaged in their faith that they are spiritually alive, spiritually robust, spiritually thriving, spiritually vibrant, and spiritually vigorous. What does this mean for those who are not spiritually engaged? I’ll answer that in the pages to come.

The fact that the Greek depicts those who are spiritually alive, spiritually robust, spiritually thriving, spiritually vibrant, and spiritually vigorous informs us prophetically that there will be a fully alive and vibrant people of God at the time of the Rapture. These will be those who stand by the Word of God, who know the power of the Holy Spirit, and who radiate the glory of God.

Those Who Remain

Paul then added that he was specifically referring to those who “remain,” using the Greek words hoi perileipomenoi, the plural form of perileipomai, which is a compound of the words peri and leipo. The word peri means around, and it depicts a circumference or an outer edge, and the word leipo pictures what is left over. The King James Version translates the words hoi perileipomenoi as “remain” — but pay attention, for this Greek wording specifically depicts the remaining outer remnant of a garment; a fragmented, left over, end piece of a garment; or a residue. It denotes a smaller amount that is left over from a larger original piece.

Typically, this Greek word was used to picture a remnant piece of material. It indicated that the greater part had been used, removed, or destroyed — and now only a remnant is left over and remains.

It is also important to note that in early New Testament times when Paul wrote these words, they were also used militarily to describe soldiers who had endured or survived a battle (hence, those men were the “residue” or residual, remaining soldiers). The use of this word in a military context meant the larger majority of soldiers had been lost along the way, but there was a remnant who had endured, remained, and survived.

Paul was a brilliant linguist who knew exactly what these words meant as he penned them. Their use clearly implies that only a remnant of authentic believers may be existing at the time of the rapture of the Church. Those who remain will be a faithful remnant who endured, remained faithful to the end, and survived the storms of life — and possibly persecution — yet they kept the faith.

Who this remnant is that Paul is describing is qualified by the word “alive.” The remnant who will be raptured are those who are spiritually alive, spiritually robust, spiritually thriving, spiritually vibrant, and spiritually vigorous. The Greek words Paul used in First Thessalonians 4:17 for the word “remain,” again, literally mean the remaining ones, the surviving ones, or those who are left. So this could indicate a remnant of all those who have ever been saved — or possibly a small number of believers who are left on the earth.

The foremost idea expressed in these verses is that at the end of the age, there may be only a surviving remnant of in-faith believers at the time of this grand event we call the Rapture. This idea coincides with what Paul wrote in Second Thessalonians 2:3 about a widespread apostasy that will occur at the end of the age. It also agrees with First Timothy 4:1, where the Holy Spirit forecasts through Paul that there will be a defection from the Christian faith in the time frame before Jesus’ return for the Church at the end of the age.

Spiritual Mannequins

Before in my book Last-Days Survival Guide, I expound on Second Timothy 3:5, where Paul wrote that at the end of the Church Age, there will be a number of false believers in the Church at large. In that verse, he wrote that they will be present, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”

The word “form” in this verse is translated from a form of the Greek word morphosis, a word that depicts an outward shape or outward form. This verse prophetically states that numbers of so-called Christians in the last days may possess the right words and the right forms in their religious practices, but inwardly, they will be empty. To explain what this means, I will use the example of a mannequin to make my point.

Today mannequins look so human that to a casual onlooker, they can mistakenly pass for a real human being. I’ve personally had the experience of turning to speak to someone in a store, only to discover it was a mannequin. The mannequin had such a dimensionally accurate outward “form” that it passed momentarily for a real human being. The outward form was correct, yet it was nothing but an empty form with no life.

This mannequin example perfectly captures the idea presented by the word “form” in Second Timothy 3:5. The Holy Spirit foretells that some so-called Christians at the end of the age will have a “form” of godliness, but inwardly they will lack the power that makes faith real. They may look right, and they may speak the right words, but because they are devoid of spiritual power, they will be mere “mannequins” of a genuine Christian.

The word “godliness” in Second Timothy 3:5 is from a form of the word eusebeia, a word that denotes piety or religiosity. The “outer form” of these spiritual mannequins may possibly include clerical clothing, religious actions, religious language, religious symbols, and other external trappings that people associate with someone or something that is religious.

The outer attire and trappings may seem outwardly correct and impressive, but if that person’s inner life is devoid of the life of God, he or she has only a “form of godliness.”

In the context of Second Timothy 3:5, we discover that the Holy Spirit prophesied that there will be people at the end of the age who have all the external trappings of godliness — the right symbols and the right words and actions. They may even wear religious clothing or have a cross draped around their neck and hold a Bible in their hands. But many will be like spiritual mannequins who have an outward “form of godliness,” yet lack the life-giving power of God.

Imagine a mannequin that is dressed in religious attire with a gold-chained cross draped across its chest and posed with a Bible in its hands. A good mannequin artist could dress it to bear a striking resemblance to a real Christian.

In fact, someone might even mistake such a mannequin for a real believer, as it would have all the right outward markings or indications. Yet it would be nothing more than a shell or a form dressed in religious clothes. In Second Timothy 3:5, Paul was prophesying by the Spirit that a time would come at the end of the age when some within the Church would dress themselves in religious paraphernalia and “look the part” — but, like mannequins, they would be empty shells, inwardly lifeless.

Paul wrote that these kinds of individuals would “deny” the power of authentic godliness. The word “deny” is translated from a form of the Greek word arneomai, which means to deny, to disown, to reject, to refuse, or to renounce. It was mostly used to refer to a person who disavowed, forsook, walked away from, or washed his hands of another person or group of people. The motive for this denial was usually fear of others, fear of suffering ridicule or persecution, or anxiety about what others would think.

By using this word, Paul unmistakably forewarned of a time when a category of so-called believers and even religious leaders, who were confronted with truth and power but were no longer embracing it, would reject and rebuff its operation and those who do embrace it. Regardless of why these deniers walk away, Paul simply states that some believers at the end of the age will abandon and walk away from the faith they once held to be true.

The Holy Spirit therefore warns that at the end of the age, there will be a widespread apostasy that emerges inside the Church, and there will be a large group who may “dress” in the guise of a Christian. But rather than suffer the brunt of a society gone astray, many will defect from truth and become a part of a mannequin-filled apostate church.