Will The World See Saints Change and Go Up?

Changeditall

When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there.
I recently heard Pastor Don Perkins say he believes the unsaved will see the saints being changed and taken up in the rapture. I am intrigued by his thought and it makes sense to me. He gave three scripture references:
I Corinthians15:51-53 51Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. Perkins said Paul's focus is on the transformation happening in the twinkling of an eye not the taking up.
Acts 1:9And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Perkins points out Jesus had been changed to His glorified body for some time before the disciples watched Him ascend out of sight.
Revelation 11:11-12 11And after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 12And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
Pastor Perkins says he believes the rapture will be seen as a testimony for Christ. I thought of other scriptures that go along with his belief. I'm interested to know if you have heard anyone else with this view.
 

Spartan Sprinter 1

Formerly known as Shaun
I recently heard Pastor Don Perkins say he believes the unsaved will see the saints being changed and taken up in the rapture. I am intrigued by his thought and it makes sense to me. He gave three scripture references:
I Corinthians15:51-53 51Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. Perkins said Paul's focus is on the transformation happening in the twinkling of an eye not the taking up.
Acts 1:9And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Perkins points out Jesus had been changed to His glorified body for some time before the disciples watched Him ascend out of sight.
Revelation 11:11-12 11And after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 12And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
Pastor Perkins says he believes the rapture will be seen as a testimony for Christ. I thought of other scriptures that go along with his belief. I'm interested to know if you have heard anyone else with this view.
Hmmm i'm not sure about that one , the only thing we can be certain on is that the world sees the 2 witnesses coming back to life and being raptured for people to see ?
 

usoutpost31

Well-Known Member
It's hard to say what the Rapture might look like. Paul describes it for believers but for unbelievers who might witness this? There's no indication of their perspective.

I would say that your examples (and I would add Elijah) happened that way because God wants people to bear witness. So if the world does see an ascension, it will also be because God wants them to see it.

The popular conception of it (people vanishing into thin air, leaving their clothes behind, and no one knows what happened); that one I have the hardest time accepting. Yes, it could happen that way, but there is no passage of Scripture that describes a scene like that.
 

soundingthealarm

Well-Known Member
We hear that from a sane biblical worldview but a huge majority of planet earth have zero understanding because of their rejection of truth so even if they are witness to that ascension it most likely only lead to them Easily falling for whatever programmed explanation that comes ….”alien invasion” or “portal cosmic cleansing”… I seriously don’t think their will be a huge number who recognize it as the missing of the rapture.
 

Matthew6:33

Withstand in the evil day. Eph 6:13
I don't know how it will happen either. I guess anything is possible. I do know that even though they might see it/experience it, many still will not believe.

It kind of reminds me of these verses showing that seeing does not lead to belief:

[Luk 16:30-31 NLT]
30 "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.'
31 "But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.'"
 

Anastacia

Well-Known Member
If God is about to give people over to delusion because they love unrighteousness, maybe they won't see us go up. Maybe not even our clothes will remain. Then they can choose to believe whatever they will.

Maybe they will witness us vanishing but not ascending or being changed. Even seeing a person disappear should cause them to look for the truth, but God still gives them free will to choose.

...makes me think of why we've never completely uncovered Noah's Ark-- then people would *have* to believe, which wouldnt be the same thing as faith.

Interesting to wonder about until we someday know!
 

Armor of Light

Praising my Savior all the day long!
In a twinkling we will be changed, new glorified bodies like Jesus, and Jesus will say come up here and we will go up. The 2 witnesses were dead 3 and 1/2 days and then resurrected and God told them come up here, and they went up, in front of all their enemies. Maybe those unsaved who witness our leaving at the rapture are still alive at the time of the 2 witnesses and maybe that jogs their memory and possibly some repent, and are saved. Just my opinion and thinking out loud. Also angels will be in the air and preaching for all to repent, they will have many chances.
 

Changeditall

When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there.
In a twinkling we will be changed, new glorified bodies like Jesus, and Jesus will say come up here and we will go up. The 2 witnesses were dead 3 and 1/2 days and then resurrected and God told them come up here, and they went up, in front of all their enemies. Maybe those unsaved who witness our leaving at the rapture are still alive at the time of the 2 witnesses and maybe that jogs their memory and possibly some repent, and are saved. Just my opinion and thinking out loud. Also angels will be in the air and preaching for all to repent, they will have many chances.
I like your opinion and appreciate reading it. At least I've found a few people who will engage me about this. It's rather lonely talking to myself ☺️
 

Changeditall

When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there.
If God is about to give people over to delusion because they love unrighteousness, maybe they won't see us go up. Maybe not even our clothes will remain. Then they can choose to believe whatever they will.

Maybe they will witness us vanishing but not ascending or being changed. Even seeing a person disappear should cause them to look for the truth, but God still gives them free will to choose.

...makes me think of why we've never completely uncovered Noah's Ark-- then people would *have* to believe, which wouldnt be the same thing as faith.

Interesting to wonder about until we someday know!
Yes it is interesting. Thank you for responding. I appreciate the input. Like I told someone else it's lonely with only myself to discuss this.
 

Andy C

Well-Known Member
I think what people left behind might see is people suddenly vanishing. A twinkling is a very short instant of time. They'll probably become confused, asking themselves if they really just saw what they saw.
Agree. Absent from the body is to be with the Lord. Here one second, gone the next nano second.

Wether we leave our clothes behind is irrelevant to me because I know I will be clothed in white.
 

Wally

Choose Your Words Carefully...
I expect 3 perspectives, The raptured - they see each other transformed,

the unbelieving world - the raptured just vanish,

And the 2 witnesses who die during the trib and the world sees them get up and soar up into the clouds.
Anything else would be like the 2 witnesses and according to the Lord's purposes as a witness for or against those who see it.
 
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