Two passages in the Old Testament make reference to the rapture of the last days. The first one is found in Isaiah 26:19, which reads “Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” Isaiah assures his people that even with difficult days ahead, they have hope to one day rise again. He specifically describes a resurrected body rising from the grave. This hope is reflected in New Testament passages.
Another Old Testament passage that relates to the rapture is found in Daniel 12:1-2, which reads,
“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine, like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”
Notice the time of trouble that will come, and then the people will be delivered. The passage seems to describe two events. The rapture is the resurrection of the righteous people who are “awakened out of the dust…to everlasting life.” Those who are awakened “to shame and everlasting contempt” are the unrighteous being judged in front of the great white throne judgment found in Revelation 20:11-15.
These two passages give reference to an event that will happen thousands of years later. Both passages give validity that the event we call the rapture is an actual event, just as many Old Testament prophecies such as the coming of Jesus as the Messiah were later fulfilled as actual events. The prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ were not just allegorical in nature. The prophecies were fulfilled just as they were predicted. For example, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as Micah 5:2 predicted. The city of Bethlehem did not just represent an aspect of Jesus being born. The prophecy happened just as it was predicted. But the church leaders of Jesus’ day were looking for a mighty ruler to come. Their ideas of how the Messiah would come were based on their interpretation of Old Testament passages. These ideas blocked their perceiving the reality of how God fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah. Many Old Testament prophecies about Jesus came about the way the prophets predicted, but not the way the church leaders expected or wanted. The future prophecies will occur the same way. Many people have their idea of how the rapture will take place, but are not looking for the reality of how God is bringing about His will. They are blinded by their own interpretation. We must be looking for His return, not looking for His return the way we think He will return.
