The Apostle Peter identifies “heaviness through manifold temptations” as a reason to greatly rejoice. It is necessary for each of us to be constantly tested in our faith. What is the purpose? “The appearing of Jesus Christ.”
Obviously, Peter, the preeminent apostle, was waiting for the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Waiting for Jesus, therefore, should be as natural as drinking water and eating bread. Throughout the New Testament we meet waiting people.
Waiting for Jesus
When Jesus was eight days old, He was brought to the Temple. Luke 2:25 reports, “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”
Another person is mentioned, Anna the prophetess, in verse 38: “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
They were waiting for the first coming of the Messiah. Collectively, however, Israel did not wait for nor notice her Messiah: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11).
In brief, this was His first coming.
The Second Coming
After Jesus had ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, we read in Acts 1:11, “…Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
Therefore, Jesus must literally and physically come to the Mount of Olives again.
Almost 500 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Zechariah had this to say: “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:4).
This had not been fulfilled at His first coming. Although the earth did quake after Jesus died on Calvary’s Cross, the Mount of Olives did not cleave in the midst thereof.
Besides, when we read the previous three verses, we notice that the nations of the world will gather against Jerusalem to battle, and the Lord will fight against those nations. Bible students know this speaks of the Battle of Armageddon, the final confrontation between light and darkness. We know this has not been fulfilled yet.
Where Must We Place the Rapture?
This mysterious event known as the Rapture lies between the first and the second coming of Christ.  Someone may object and say that the word “Rapture” is not mentioned in Scripture. That is true; the word Rapture does not appear in most of our English Bible translations. However, it is clearly taught in Scripture, as we will see later.
What Is Not the Rapture?
Before we go into detail on our subject of discussion, “The Timing of the Rapture,” let us first determine what is not the Rapture.
Matthew 24 and Luke 21 are the great end-time chapters, where Jesus utters profound prophecies addressed to the Jews in the land of Israel.
For example, in Matthew 24:29 we read, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” This will occur “after the tribulation,” not before and not in the middle thereof.
What comes next? “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (verse 31).
Many scholars identify this as the Rapture of the Church. Yet when one reads this carefully, one realizes it is not.
We note that in Matthew 24 it says, “he shall send his angels,” but when it speaks of the Rapture, it clearly states in 1 Thessalonians 4:16: “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.” Thus we have two different events: 1) His literal coming to the Mount of Olives, followed by the supernatural gathering of His elect, and 2) His coming in the clouds of heaven, not touching planet Earth, to gather His bride, when we shall “meet the Lord in the air.”
The Rapture of the Church
Let us now deal with four important issues:
1.    What is the Rapture?
2.    Why is there a Rapture?
3.    When will the Rapture take place?
4.    Signs of the Rapture
1. What Is the Rapture?
The Rapture, as mentioned, is hidden within the Second Coming of Christ. We may take the liberty to use some of the Old Testament Scriptures that are particularly targeting His physical Second Coming, to illustrate the necessity for being prepared.
Escape for Thy Life
The following warnings were addressed to Lot in Genesis 19:17 and 22: “And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.”
Lot was ordered to escape. Why? Because God could not destroy the righteous with the wicked. When Abraham pleaded with the Lord regarding Sodom, the Lord said, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.” Actually, God was hindered in His plan, “I cannot do anything till thou be come hither.”
Here we have an early symbolic sign of the Rapture: escape from destructive judgment.
Jesus Himself refers to Sodom and Gomorrah and to the times of Noah in Luke 17:27-29: “They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.”
When we ask the question, what is the Rapture, we have the answer: the Rapture is the removing of the righteous from planet Earth to allow judgment to proceed.
The Absence of Peace
Something most horrendous will take place on earth, which is prophesied in Revelation 6:4: “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword.”
Peace will be taken away from earth. We all know that there has been no peace on earth since Cain killed his brother Abel. Jesus actually told us that there would be wars and rumors of wars, but in the midst of the chaos of this world, between conflicts, catastrophes and upheavals, there is an island of peace: it is the true Church of Jesus Christ, the members of His Body. They are the only ones who have peace, for the Bible declares, “He is our peace.”
Jesus promised this peace to us, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). This speaks of the true Church of Jesus Christ, His Body. They are in this evil world, but they are not of it. This is not addressed to Churchianity or nationalistic Christianity; it is addressed to a very small group of people, who know what it means when Jesus says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
In summary to our question, what is the Rapture, we answer: the removal of the Lord’s blood-bought Church to allow the process of the Great Tribulation to take effect.
2. Why Must the Church Be Raptured?
We already alluded to the answer. The removal of the Church is necessary so God can fulfill His righteousness, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”  In Lot’s time, God was hindered to fulfill His righteous judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, because Lot lingered to escape for his life. The angels of the Lord actually had to use force to remove righteous Lot and his family outside the city, “And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city” (Genesis 19:16).    
Often, we have the notion that when we become believers, “old things have passed away… all things are become new” is applicable to our flesh and blood. That is far from the truth. The thing that has become new is the new person born within. The old one is destined to die. There is nothing good in it; nothing worth saving, not even repairing or restoring. The old man with all its vices must die. The “old Adamic nature” must be judged, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
The Old and the New
John clarifies this dual personality. Our old person is subject to sin, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning” (1 John 3:8). This statement should make it clear that the devil has a legal right to our old nature, because there is nothing good in it. However, that’s not the end, and praise God it’s not, because God’s grace breaks through so that in the old nature, a new one is born, which is absolutely spotless and perfect: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).
Again, why is the Rapture necessary? To separate us from our sinful flesh and blood. The Bible says, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.”
Light and Salt
Furthermore, judgment unto destruction, such as will take place during the Great Tribulation, cannot take place unless the salt and the light is removed from planet Earth.
Jesus, after pronouncing the blessings in Matthew chapter 5, stated, “Ye are the salt of the earth,” and in verse 14, “Ye are the light of the world.”
This does not mean we become salt shakers or flashlights, identifying sins in others, but our very being as believers on earth is salt and light. We must never come to the erroneous conclusion that we are somewhat outstanding in this world. That’s not the case. We are insignificant, unnoticed people, often rejected, sometimes persecuted, and occasionally killed. That’s the small flock, saved by the blood of the Lamb; they have become eternal citizens.
How these believers manifest themselves on earth is revealed in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This is a profound statement, because it does not say we are to show our good works so people will see the light, but it says, show your light so people may see your works.
It lies in our nature to show off: even ministers of the Gospel, and workers in the kingdom of God, have the tendency to enumerate the things we have done, how God has blessed and prospered us, how we have been able to reach multitudes, etc. When the people of the world hear these things, they reject it, and remain in darkness. But when we let our light shine—and the only light we have is Jesus Christ and Him crucified—people will recognize our good works and, as a result, glorify our Father which is in heaven.
Known by the Fruits
In Matthew 7:20, Jesus says: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”  
Then He reveals a group of people who show off their works, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in they name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works” (verses 21-22). These people indeed were amazing miracle workers. They called Him, Lord Lord, they prophesied in His name, they cast out devils, and they did many wonderful works. How does the Lord answer them? “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (verse 23). There was no fruit, no salt, no light; actually, Jesus calls them workers of iniquity.
In summary, why must the Rapture take place? In order to separate true fruit from religious works.
3. When Will the Rapture Take Place?
Let us heed the warning Jesus uttered in Matthew 24:44 again: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Although Jesus speaks to His people, the Jews, referring to His Second Coming (His physical descent on the Mount of Olives), it is also applicable to His Church because the preparation element, the readiness and waiting for Him are an essential part of His message.
We must not speculate, nor use mathematics to arrive at a certain day or hour. Instead, we are to be ready because He comes when “ye think not.”
When will the Rapture take place? Two things must occur: