If your kid is missing tomorrow morning, will you find his / her clothes on the bed and know he was raptured?
I've always thought that the rapture ideas of "out of the shoes" rapture are absurd. Why - because it is like becoming a ghost. Like the Jedi disappearance when they die. Is the rapture therefore the holy death of master Joda? Some alternative esoteric researchers that I will not quote, think so - think that the resurrection is achievable via yoga techniques and results in disappearance from our space-time.
The entire idea of the rapture is we are with our bodies in contrast to the death that only our souls will be taken. And why should we leave our clothes then?
The problem of the rapture theorists is they assume an early resurrection, without the visible presence of Jesus Christ on Earth on the Second Coming. On one hand they have Paul's words that say "in a blink of an eye" we will be transformed. But then they omit the other part - at the time of the resurrection of the dead. And if they put the rapture there, then they lose the pre-trib or mid-trib moment. So they somehow take the words of Paul of transformation in a blink of an eye, and put them in the pre-trib / mid-trib rapture. Some say, also with a resurrection, while others omit that moment about the dead being resurrected.
It is clearly said in Revelation that the
First resurrection will happen only at the Second Coming and not earlier. So if there is a transformation of the living similar to the resurrected body of Christ, then it should be expected at that moment - at the Second Coming of Jesus from Heaven visible to everyone. And not to a selected group of raptured people only who "will be first transformed, then taken to clouds, and then will meet Jesus there".
Are there earlier raptures therefore? This is another problem - the possibility of a MORE THAN ONE RAPTURE. Just recently some Bible researchers admitted that idea. Thanks God, we have it from a number of visionaries and their messages. With an earlier (pre-trib or mid-trib) rapture in addition to the Second Coming rapture, there is no need of the dead to resurrect first. But then the raptured people will not be changed in a blink of an eye either. The quote of Paul is no more relevant for that earlier rapture.
Revelation 12 speaks of the manchild caught up to the throne of God. That may indicate some resurrection-like transformation for the people who are a part of the manchild. Similar to what Mother Mary underwent at the end of Her earthly life. But the millions should not count on that, unless they are a part of the manchild.
The great multitude singing on the sea of glass mixed with fire in Revelation 15 is not martyred, has refused the mark, and is not transformed. The song is the song of Moses, unlike the non-understandable song of the 144000 in Revelation 14. That indicates physical exodus similar to that of Moses thru the red sea. The saved people are not on any place on Earth known as "sea of glass mixed with fire". Still there is no transformation like resurrection at that point.
Elijah and EnochApart of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary, there are other examples of a more understandable "translation". Many rapture theorists apply to Enoch and Elijah automatically what is valid for Jesus. Wait a minute! No one was resurrected before Jesus, so neither were Enoch and Elijah. They were in their mortal bodies, no matter if and how upgraded to live longer. No one went to the final destination of eternal heavenly realm, before Jesus on Ascension day - not even the prophets and Abraham. How then some say that Enoch and Elijah were taken to Heaven? They were not taken to Heaven but to another physical place, another planet.
Physical Devices were used. Let see the description of Elijah taking - first he walks the whole day to reach the landing place, then the device called "chariot of fire" for lack of better words lands BETWEEN Elijah and Elisha (i.e. Elijah is not interdimentionally caught up in a blink of an eye to leave his shoes to the shocked Elisha). Then Elijah boards the flying device, and when the "chariot" lifts up, then he throws the cloak from above. All of that detailed description show a pretty physical boarding of unknown flying device with enough time, and there is no transformation of the body at least to the moment the device disappeared. If there was a such, it would be described among so many other less important details.
Enoch's rapture briefly mentioned in Genesis has an entire book that says much more valuable information - the book of Enoch, that should be taken at least for a historic reference. As another apocrypha book that speaks of Mother Mary's assumption and was preserved in the church tradition. If we have the dogma of the Mary's Assumption, it is also thanks to that book called "apocrypha". Pope Benedict quoted the book of Enoch on his Easter vigil homily 2010. Is another update and clarification of our faith coming on its way? I strongly advice the research of Dr Chuck Missler on "Noah Days" and the return of Nephilim, though he doesn't discuss the book of Enoch, only mentions it.
Then why do the rapture preachers continue insisting on the idea that we will be "changed in a blinking of an eye" and will be flying in the air, taken directly to "Heaven" like Jesus, but before the coming of Jesus and the Resurrection He brings WITH HIMSELF? ("I am the resurrection and the life")
Because otherwise they have an
Elijah-like rapture, not Jesus-like ascension. They need to add a chariot, that in modern terms cannot be explained otherwise than a spaceship. They have to admit the Angels have also certain physical properties manifested throughout the Old Testament (Raphael eats and drinks with Tobias and is indistinguishable from a human) and even in the new testament (Peter in prison - the Angel struck him, the gate opens by itself on the Angel's command etc). They have to explain also the Wheels of Ezekiel - different devices from the chariot of Elijah.
They have to explain the "HORSES" that the heavenly army of Jesus Christ comes with on the Second Coming. Jesus himself rides a "flying horse" despite He doesn't need a horse or spaceship - He flew to heaven by His divine power on the Ascension Day. Apparently the horses-spaceships are needed for the army of the Saints that will come back - for the raptured people who will come back. And also for the OTHER CREATURES elsewhere in the galaxies who will be a part of the Jesus' army.Not for the Archangels and Angels who are spirits and who showed they could come and go without devices or horses. Let also remember that Paul calls himself and his fellow servants "angels = messengers of God".
What most of the rapture preachers offer us to believe is little different from a death in Christ, it is not a real physical rapture. Good they reached the idea of a rapture at all, (idea not new but coming from the Ancient Church). But most of the theorists are stuck there in their 19 century theology. Let they be quick to resolve the problems: 1. multiple raptures, 2. rapture devices "chariots", 3. angels with physical properties who assist us as in the old testament,
It is quite possible there will be upgrade of the bodies on molecular and DNA level to be able to live as much as the first people on Earth if not more. That is different from the resurrection-like transformation in the blinking of an eye, that cannot happen before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It can happen indeed as with Virgin Mary, but only for a very limited number of selected people. To expect that everyone is there, is not quite realistic. Lazarus was resurrected, but in his mortal body and died again. Let therefore take the secure chariot of Elijah and do not put requirements to God what He "must" do according to our very limited understanding, because we may miss the rapture chariots of fire.