Opinion: Greg Laurie
Let’s start with the obvious: the Rapture sounds crazy. Jesus descends from Heaven, dead people rise from their graves, and living believers are suddenly caught up into the sky — like the world’s strangest episode of “Stranger Things.” Sounds like the stuff your uncle mutters about after three cups of church coffee. Except — it’s right there in Scripture. Paul says it. John says it. Jesus says it. The only ones who don’t are usually the skeptics writing editorials dismissing the very faith that gives us hope.
Now, critics like to pounce: “But the word Rapture isn’t even in the Bible!” Congratulations, Sherlock. Neither are the words Trinity or even Bible. And yet, here we are, still believing in all three. The word comes from the Latin rapturas, which translates the Greek word harpazo — meaning “to snatch up, grab by force,” Imagine a parent reaching out and pulling their child away from danger just in time. That’s the picture Scripture gives us of the Rapture.
The history lesson no one wants
Some say, “Oh, the Rapture is just a modern invention, some 19th-century gimmick.” Nonsense. Yes, J.N. Darby helped popularize it in more recent times, but long before him, the early Church Fathers like Irenaeus and Cyprian wrote about believers being “snatched up” before judgment. It’s not new — it’s biblical. We also hear about the Rapture straight from Paul, Peter, James, and most importantly, Jesus Himself: “I will come again and receive you to myself.”
The most familiar passage on the Rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18:
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together (Greek word: harpazo, meaning ‘snatched up’) with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
And if that sounds far-fetched, remember Enoch — who literally walked off the face of the earth into God’s presence — and Elijah, who rode to heaven in a fiery chariot. The prototypes are already in the Old Testament.
Why it matters
Here’s why this isn’t just a fun theological parlor game: the Rapture gives hope. Paul calls it the “blessed hope.” When you’ve buried a loved one, you don’t need vague talk about them being “in a better place.” You need the solid promise that in one split second — one atomos, faster than a teenager deleting browser history when his mom grabs his phone — you’ll be with them again. Parents reunited with children. Husbands with wives. Brothers and sisters together again. And at the center of it all — Jesus Christ Himself.
And it does more than comfort grief. It motivates godliness. John says, “Everyone who has this hope purifies himself.” In other words, if you really believe Jesus could return at any moment, maybe don’t binge sin like it’s Netflix. You wouldn’t invite your best friend into a house piled with dirty laundry and Taco Bell wrappers. Don’t greet your Savior that way either. You want to be ready — walking with Him, keeping your spiritual house in order.
The date-setting circus
Of course, there’s always the circus clowns with their calendars: “88 Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988!” They were wrong, just like every other date-setter before or since. Jesus made it pretty clear: “No one knows the day or the hour.” Which, funnily enough, includes you, me, and that guy on YouTube with the chart and the whiteboard. The Rapture isn’t about prediction — it’s about preparation. SSA Faith surges: Lucas Miles details mission, growth after Charlie Kirk’s assassination
The takeaway
So, what do we do with all this? We wake up. We stay alert. We stop living like the world is a Vegas buffet that never closes. Paul said: “The night is almost gone, the day of salvation is soon here.” Translation: time is short. Knock it off. If you’re a believer, live clean, live holy, live hopeful. If you’re not — well, get right or get left.
Because one day, maybe in our lifetime, maybe tonight — in a blink, in the twinkling of an eye — everything changes. Loved ones raised. The Church caught up. Judgment delayed until after the Bride has been rescued.
It’s not escapism. It’s not fantasy. As C.S. Lewis reminded us, looking forward to the eternal world is one of the things a Christian is meant to do.
So, laugh if you want. Roll your eyes. Write your snarky post. But when it happens — when the shout comes, when the trumpet blows — mockery won’t matter. Only hope will.
Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author and movie producer. “Jesus Revolution,” a feature film about Laurie’s life from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, releases in theaters February 24, 2023.
