Old Testament paradigms of the rapture foreshadow details of what is to come and answer a question from a disturbing dream – what happens if we look back?
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The Mysteries of the Rapture
A couple of years ago, I came across a video of someone describing a dream they had about the rapture. It was interesting to hear the thoughts that went through their head as this unique event transpired. Intrigued, I asked God to give me a dream about the rapture. A day or two later, He did.
I was rising, probably a couple of thousand feet off the ground. I looked around and saw some of my family members near me. But I didn’t see all of my family. Panicked that some were left behind, I looked down. Immediately, I began to drop.
Let’s pause here. While this was just a dream, what happened at that moment troubled me and presented a deep question regarding the rapture that I have struggled with since…
What happens if we look back?
This will be the first of a series of posts that take a deep dive into the rapture, from its Old Testament roots to its New Testament revelation. In this series, we will explore foreshadowings of the rapture to understand its reason, broader purpose, and timing.
To find the first rapture paradigm is easy – Jesus told us where to look.
The Days of Noah and Lot Foreshadow the Rapture
Luke 17 and Matthew 24 capture a discussion between Jesus and His disciples when He reveals details about His return. In this teaching, Jesus compares His return to the days of Noah and the days of Lot. The primary message behind this lesson is that when Jesus returns, people will be living their everyday lives with no expectation of impending doom. People will be eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, and building. But then disaster will come upon them.
Then Jesus links this sudden disaster with the rapture. He tells the disciples how two people will be working side by side, one will be taken, and the other will be left. Even some married couples will be separated, with one taken from their bed presumably as they sleep.
These remarks clearly refer to the rapture. Just five sentences earlier, Jesus stated, “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.“
So if Jesus tied the rapture to these Old Testament events, what else can we learn about the rapture from studying the days of Lot and Noah?
God Must Punish the Wicked
In Noah’s Day, the wickedness on the earth had become so great that God was about to destroy every living creature on the earth. The sons of God were joining with the daughters of man, and the world was corrupt and violent. Genesis tells us that every thought of man was set on evil.
Likewise, in Lot’s day, God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because their sin was “exceedingly grave,” and God could not deny the outcry coming to Him.
This reason is fascinating because it reveals that someone is watching the events of the earth and screaming to God for judgment. The identity of the one(s) crying out is not stated, but it could be the living creatures who have eyes “all around,” or the four horsemen, who report to the living creatures and “patrol the earth,” or possibly watcher angels.
These scriptures tell us that God is listening and judging events on the earth. He is compelled by His just nature to satisfy the outcry of those watching and punish the inhabitants of the earth for pervasive sin.
God will judge the earth. But there is a condition to God pouring out His wrath.
The Righteous Will Be Saved/Raptured Before Judgment
In Noah’s case, God withheld the destruction of every living creature on the earth for one reason.
From this, we learn that God saved Noah, his family, and the earth’s creatures because of Noah’s righteousness.
Likewise, when the Lord [Jesus preincarnate] told Abraham He was about to destroy Sodom, Abraham asked Him, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?“
In the discussion that followed, the Lord agreed not to destroy the city if ten righteous people resided there. Based on the series of events that followed, It appears that Lot was the only righteous one in the city. God did not spare the city, but he rescued Lot and his family from judgment.
What I find amazing about this account is that God withheld judgment until this one righteous man was safe. The two angels were about to destroy the city. But one of the two angels told Lot, “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”
This scripture tells us that the timing of God’s wrath was contingent on this one righteous man being rescued… just one.
Will God not rescue the millions of righteous on the earth before he pours out His wrath?
Daniel 12 tells us the answer. “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 [the Book of Life], will be rescued.“
So what happens if, during the rapture, we look back?
The One Who Looked Back
The story of Lot is a foreshadowing of the rapture. We know that there will be a great apostasy/defection/revolt before the rapture. Paul tells us this, stating, “…with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,… Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first.”
This is nothing new. Paul describes a generation in Romans, which is reminiscent of the society in Sodom and Gomorrah and matches our society today.
“…God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way, also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts…“
Despite the obvious wickedness among Sodom’s inhabitants, Lot’s family had trouble leaving their home. The angels literally had to grab them and pull them outside to safety, rescuing them from the coming judgment. This is reminiscent of the angels who will “gather the elect,” from the earth in the rapture.
But Lot’s wife had particular difficulty letting go of her life. Disobeying the angel’s order, she looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.
So what could this mean for us during the rapture?
(Interestingly a site, believed to be Sodom and Gomorrah was found to have had a meteor explode over it, sending shockwaves of super-heated Dead Sea salt brine outward. The salt had impregnated the stone walls, possibly revealing how Lot’s wife was turned to salt.)
A Choice?
Now let’s go back to the dream I introduced at the beginning of this post.
I looked down out of fear and concern for the loved ones I was leaving behind. How could I leave them to the horrors about to happen? Surely, they would be better off if I remained behind to guide them. As a parent, it was a terrible choice.
I believe this is what the story of Lot’s wife is telling us. To be rescued, we will inevitably need to leave our life, including our loved ones, behind.
In the dream, as I was dropping, I began to understand the decision. It was a matter of faith. I got the impression that I would have more influence on their lives in heaven, close to God, than on earth. At that moment, I began to rise.
I have questioned this decision ever since. But through this dream, I believe God was showing me things that are written in scripture.
Revelation 7 describes a great multitude of people appearing in heaven, having come out of the great tribulation. These are the raptured Christians. Notice how close they are to Jesus and the Father. “For this reason, they are before the throne of God;… for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life.“
But remember, like me, these people are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters who will surely grieve over loved ones left behind. This is why Revelation 7:17 states, “God will wipe every tear from their eyes.“
Is the rapture a choice for the believers? Maybe. If we look down, we may be cursed as Lot’s wife was. But if we trust in God, we will have unimaginable access to God, and He will give us reason not to grieve.
Related Posts:
The Rapture – Scripture Settles the Pre-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation Debate
Dead Sea Scrolls Research Frames Timing of Jesus’ Return
Roe vs. Wade – Today’s Battle and the Coming Rapture