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Are Our Rapture Bodies Real?
Ask a Bible Teacher
by Jack Kelley
Question: This may be a stupid question, but it is one that I have thought about ever since reading the "Left Behind" series. The authors describe the rapture occuring, and then people's bodies (their literal ones, not spiritual) basically disappear from the planet, causing chaos. Their clothes, braces, glasses, etc. are left in their place.
This viewpoint sparked my interest. When the rapture does come, how will we meet the "Lord in the air?" Will our spirits be removed from our bodies and then our earth bodies just drop dead? Or will our earthly as well a spiritual bodies just disappear? I don't know if the Bible says anything about this, or if I'm just being ignorant. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Answer: The rapture is an instantaneous event wherein our earthly bodies are transformed into heavenly ones at the moment of our departure. (1Cor. 15:51-53) We don't discard them, so as far as the people left behind know we've simply vanished into thin air. I've heard scholars say that our clothes, glasses, etc are left in little piles right where we were when we disappeared and that makes sense since we will no longer need them.
We'll be recognizable to those we know and will intuitively know everyone who goes with us, as they will know us. Our physical deficiencies will suddenly be corrected as we become the perfect examples of our former imperfect selves, able to appear and disappear at will and travel at the speed of thought. All the things we currently don't understand will be crystal clear, and our sin nature that has caused untold embarrassment to ourselves and our God will be gone forever. I can hardly wait.
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