Of all my cogitating on Bible prophecy, the thought just never struck.
I’m partner with Todd Strandberg in raptureready.com. I’ve written hundreds of articles on the subject. I’ve authored entire books devoted just to the topic. Yet I’ve never even thought, much less written about, one particular aspect of the matter. Some might correct me on that, but that is my memory—or failure thereof—on this thing specifically involved.
The topic, the subject, is the Rapture—that stupendous instant when Jesus Christ steps out on the clouds of glory and shouts with the last trump and the voice of an archangel, “Come up here!”
We believe that it will happen in an atomos of time—quicker than it takes for light traveling at 186,000 miles per second to enter the eye and strike the retina. That’s much faster than the eye can blink, I’m told.
Again, we believe that millions of all born-again believers who are alive will vanish in that instant. It will happen all over the world, but perhaps in no place on earth will the great event be witnessed by more people than in America. And, I’m not meaning that this is because there are more Christians—true believers—in the United States than in any other place on the planet. That might be the case, but that isn’t why I state it.
The thought, as I said above, had not crossed my mind until an epiphany came in the form of an email by a Christian sister, whom I presume is a long-time family member of our Rapture Ready website.
Although I won’t mention her name, I will relate a part of her email that struck deeply into my prophecy-watcher alert center:
Terry: Concerning the Rapture discussion about whether or not people will see us leaving when we are caught up. They will certainly see SOMETHING, because there are cameras everywhere constantly filming everybody.
So, if I’m out in the middle of the street talking to one of my neighbors when Jesus suddenly calls me up into the clouds, at least three of my neighbors’ security cameras are going to record my disappearance. (Where did she go? She was standing right there talking to Dave and then she just disappeared!”).
Whether we just disappear or can be seen rising up after we are transformed, the cameras at the grocery store, the bank, the jam-cam on I-10, the neighbor’s security camera or doorbell ring camera, all those cameras recording everybody everywhere all over the world are going to capture it all.
Again, this is just an idea that never struck me. But it will surely happen just as she describes, barring an unforeseen EMP attack or other phenomenon that shuts down all cameras in the nation.
Anyone who has watched forensic shows that record crimes in every possible location knows that we’re under constant surveillance. There is no way we can escape the cameras looking down on us from telephone poles, building roofs, or wherever.
Even drones now circle overhead and record every movement we make, both for law enforcement and commercial purposes. Private drones now keep track of us just for amusement and entertainment.
But it’s the cellphone and other devices held by individuals in every town in the country that make the emailer’s observation of special, prophetic significance.
People are literally filming on their phones every moment of every day and night, especially in America, where so many people have smart devices. There is no doubt that the disappearance of people around towns all over America will be captured in that staggering instant.
The news-gathering entities around the US will be soliciting every video they can find. Social media venues will go crazy with quantities of footage that will likely almost melt down many websites. It will be the most filmed event in history!
Many of those video recorders will still be going when they hit the ground, having been dropped by Christians doing the filming. These, too, will give credence to the message of those of us who have been teaching the truth of the pre-Trib Rapture.
Perhaps it is the many such videos that will convince a great number of people who have heard our message. The message? That Jesus has called believers to Himself. Those who see and are thus convinced might then seek earnestly all information left behind that forewarns of what they have just witnessed.
My thanks to my emailer friend who stimulated the thought about history’s most viewed event!
Terry James Prophecy Line 
Maybe millions of unsaved people will see and realize that their saved loved ones were telling the truth and turn to the Lord! Those cameras may be a mighty tool of evangelism.
Wow. Amen.
Terry I too had an epiphany recently regarding the pre trib rapture. I state this in the form of a question. Will all children who have not yet reached the age of accountability be raptured at the same moment we as believers are? If we believe that there is an age of accountability and that Christ will surely not send those younguns to hell then that must be so. Imagine a non believing parent is sitting at the dinner table with their young children and poof they are gone. That ought to put a few folks on their knees!
Have a blessed day/shalom
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Hi Terry,
What a fun subject!
My understanding is that the Bible is clear about our instantaneous transformation, but I haven’t found the speed of our ascension explained in detail.
Imagine… Standing in a grocery store parking lot. The store’s cameras capture shining, glorified people rising from a nearby graveyard! Their shouts of joy cannot be ignored and draw instant attention!
Then we are instantly changed. Suddenly we appear to the world like Stephen did, with the “face of an angel” as we’re sucked up to join them.
Remember the old Candid Camera pranks? Remember the stunned bystanders? Those reactions will also be captured on camera!
Ha! Goodbye world, Goodbye! Heaven is near and I can’t stay here…
I have considered that the rapture could generate huge amounts of energy, greater than a human constructed EMP, shutting downs electronics everywhere. This would devastate the world for those left behind and could explain why the US is not mentioned in the Bible as a player in the Tribulation.
Interesting possibility!
If the process that removes people from Earth was some kind of mass to energy conversion, Einstein’s E = mc2 comes into play. To give you a hint as to how much energy would be produced, consider this: 1 micro-gram of matter if totally converted to energy produces the equivalent of about 25 kilowatt-hours of energy. That’s enough to run 250, 100 watt light bulbs for an hour! Long story short, and presupposing my math is right (might want to double-check since math is not my strong suit), for just one 150 pound person, you could run 4.25e14 bulbs! For a million people, it’d be 4.25e20 bulbs. (Just to give you an idea how huge this number is, there are only around 100 billion (100e9) stars in the Milky Way.) Energy at the level above would probably be enough to Earth turn into a miniature star for a while.
Since Revelation shows us Earth will still be here post-Rapture, the manner in which the disappearance happens will be totally miraculous, far beyond anything we poor human beings can understand.
Here’s another thought. When millions of people suddenly disappear, would the sudden inrush of air into the space they formerly occupied generate a huge global thunderclap?
Ed Wood
I have thought the idea of a 5G network might facilitate this event, given how little I know about technology, but I do know that 5G is something that is supposed to be able to be faster than anything we can imagine. Perhaps the advent of such technology, coupled with the Rapture might “trigger” an EMP-type of result. As I said, I am fairly technologically ignorant, but it sounds as though it might be one way to explain the disappearance of so many people and the failure of such a controversial technology. Regardless, the days we live in are truly amazing, and I am more home sick than ever before. My desire to be with the Lord is like an unquenchable flame in my heart, growing daily. God bless you all.
The picture that always “gets” me is the number of driverless cars and airplanes without pilots which will be crashing all around. How will unbelievers explain that? It will be horrendous, and yet… they will believe the lie.
I think of the pregnancies that are abruptly interrupted by the babies being transported. I don’t believe God will leave “His Knitting” in progress behind. And can you imagine the joy of parents who will raise their babies in the perfection of God’s Kingdom??
I miscarried early in a pregnancy and I feel certain that baby is waiting for me in Heaven.
For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was being formed in secret, And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed to me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].
Psalm 139:13,15-16 God bless you.
WOW!!! To think of it! What a testimony for those left behind! Super awesome! Thanks for sharing this, Terry! MARANATHA
More often than not, the Rapture is depicted as an event that catches everyone by total surprise, believer and non-believer alike. But consider this:
Amos {3:7} Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
This principle has been confirmed more times than I can count in the Bible. Long story short – God always uses his prophets, most notably to warn people to shape up – or else!
Based on this, I think it more likely than not that those who believe today will “get the word,” one way or another, before the Rapture occurs. How long before is unknown. It could be centuries ahead of time, just as the prediction of Jesus’ arrival on Earth (unlikely, though, since I don’t think we have that much time before the Rapture does occur), or perhaps only days, hours or minutes. Maybe even less. The event itself will certainly be, as Terry has said, instantaneous.
The rest of the world can hardly miss the sudden disappearance of millions and Terry made an excellent point that our technology will record the event for all to see. Thing is, it will be at a loss to correctly explain it. I’m sure it’ll offer up any number of scenarios such as the unleashing of a secret weapon or even an abduction by extraterrestrials.
Maybe the modern church will suggest that God finally got rid of all the “troublemakers” who had the nerve to criticize its false teachings.
During the post-Rapture time, though, some will come to believe in the true God. Perhaps for most of them, it’ll cost them their mortal lives.
Jesus told his disciples to “Watch.”
He never said anything without a reason!