Will there be a rapture? YES. Will it be a secret? NO!
Rapture means “to be carried away with power,” and it is true that when Jesus comes the living righteous will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
But many have come to believe that this rapture will take place quietly – that faithful Christians all around the world will suddenly disappear and that life here on earth will continue for a seven-year period of tribulation. During this time, they say, many will be converted and have a “second chance” at salvation before Christ’s final coming. Although the secret rapture scenario may appear comforting at first glance, there is absolutely no scriptural support for it. The Bible plainly teaches that when Jesus comes again, every one of our senses will be bombarded with evidence!
God warned that Satan will do such a convincing job that, if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived. Jesus said to His disciples, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:23, 24).
In the near future, Satan will attempt to impersonate Jesus and counterfeit His return to earth. But God’s people need not be deceived. When the disciples asked Jesus for the sign of His coming and the end of the world, the very first thing He told them was to be on guard against impostors. He said, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4, 5).
As with most deceptions, the secret rapture theory is based on a few texts that have been taken out of the context. Two main concepts in Scripture have been used to substantiate a “secret” rapture.
The primary one is that Jesus will come as “a thief in the night.” The secret rapture theory assumes this means that Christ will come secretly to steal away the righteous and carry them quietly to heaven.
Christ’s coming is described as “a thief” several times throughout the New Testament. Let’s look at one of these passages and see if it describes a secret rapture. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10). That doesn’t sound like a secret event, does it?
In describing His return as a thief, Christ did not intend to show that it would be quiet, but that it would be sudden and unexpected – that the wicked would be taken by surprise. He said, “If the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man will come at an hour when ye think not”. (Luke 12:39, 40). Likewise, Paul told the Christians in Thessalonica, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). God does not want His followers to be surprised. He wants us to be watchful and ready.
To further illustrate this truth, Jesus said,”No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house” (Mark 3:27, NKJV).